Olashore International School Mental Wellness Programme - November 2019

As nations stride towards achieving universal education, schools are expanding their role by including mental health services as a strategy to deal with factors interfering with schooling. Schools can help young people live more productive and fulfilling lives through mental health education, school-based interventions and, when indicated, professional treatment.

Half of all mental illnesses begin by 14 years and three-quarters by the mid-20s. Despite the fact that about 1 in 10 children and young people are affected, only about 20% are given appropriate interventions at a sufficiently early age. Parental reluctance to seek professional help, stigma, insufficient care providers to meet rising demands, and poor access to specialized providers are barriers to appropriate and early mental health care.

Olashore International School, a secondary school in Nigeria, is actively working to ensure that children’s mental health needs are met, both within and outside school. According to the school’s Principal, Mr Toscano, focusing on students’ mental wellness, and in particular suicide, as part of a wider programme of health education, will improve the overall development of young people.

The school hosted the second edition of the Olashore Mental Wellness Programme on October 10^th, 2019. This initiative was started last year in response to the rising number of mental health issues reported among adolescents/young people in Nigeria. The event, which took place at the Lagos Business School, Nigeria, was facilitated by mental health experts focused on educating and equipping parents, teachers, and school administrators with the right information and skills to adequately address mental health issues among school age children and young adults.

The keynote speaker at the event, Dr Olajubu, a forensic psychiatrist with the UK NHS, urged schools to support children and young adults in developing the prosocial and survival skills needed to cope in society. One of the sessions focused on mental health systems in schools, a topical subject among carers and educators of young people. The session was facilitated by the Olashore School Counsellor, Mrs Thomas, and the school doctor, Dr Adeyemi, who is a member of the International Association of Adolescent Health.

 A key message from the event is that Nigerian secondary schools need to begin to look inwards- to evaluate current needs and resources and- outwards for the necessary collaboration needed to include mental health programs in the school health programme as a strategy to address the rising mental health demands of adolescents and young people.