The Nigerian Army and other stakeholders have stressed the need to improve mental health awareness among military personnel and other security agencies to address cases of stress disorder in operational fronts.
It was gathered that the Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC), Department of Army Transformation and Innovation in partnership with Peace Building Development Consult, on Monday commenced a three-day Mental Health Resilience and Wellness Course (MHRWC 3) in Abuja.
The Director General of NARC, Maj.-Gen. Garba Wahab, represented by retired Maj.-Gen. Joseph Orokpo, disclosed the issue of mental health was crucial to the military, paramilitary and the entire nation.
Wahab said there had been instances of soldiers shooting indiscriminately and killing colleagues, saying such circumstances could be triggered by operational issues, stress, trauma, anxiety and other factors that affect mental health of personnel.
He urged the participants to advise their patients and commanders on what to do to avoid the issue of mental health on the field considering the current operations being undertaken by the military and other security agencies.
“We expect that they will find themselves in the operational areas and then they will be able to advise the commanders and treat their patients accordingly.
“Mental issues in the military are of great concern to us at all times. People with stress disorders, trauma, and all those kinds of things.
“In the military, we want them to be in the right frame of mind to carry out the operations for national security,” he affirmed.
Dr Omoyemu Duke-Osuhor, a Consultant Psychiatrist, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), said there was a need to understand the role of the brain being the control center of the body.
Dike-Osuhor said the brain controls emotion, intelligence, judgment and behavior, adding that it was crucial for security personnel who had to make important decisions and judgments when carrying out operations.
She said the issue of mental health was important for military personnel in enhancing their resilience and handling of stress to avoid poor judgment that could lead to loss of life.
