World Mental Health Day 2026
The National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates Confraternity) is pleased to join the global community as it celebrates World Mental Health Day (WMHD) 2026. It is our commitment to advocate, raise awareness and break down barriers, especially in Nigeria, to accessible and quality mental health.
WMHD is a day designated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Federation of Mental Health (WFMH) for raising awareness about Mental Health for all and encouraging advocacy for greater access to mental health care and treatment for vulnerable people across the world.
Over the years, WMHD has been able to raise awareness through enlightenment of the public on mental health disorders, emotional well-being and the effects of mental illness on families and society.
WMHD has also been able to address the stigma associated with mental illness by challenging age-old discrimination, shame and misconceptions surrounding mental health patients through honest conversations.
The success recorded with the celebration of WMHD can be measured through its advocacy for access to care, which has continued to call for more investment in community-based mental health services, which in a great deal promotes inclusive care for all.
Each year, the WFMH, in collaboration with the WHO, celebrates the WMHD with a theme which serves as a guide for policy and action on addressing concerns about mental disorders.
The theme for this year’s event is: ‘Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change’. According to the WFMH, the 2026 theme supports transformational work with inclusive services, designed around the lived experiences of real people and related to the social conditions in which people live.
It aims to achieve a reaffirmation of collaborative intent between individuals, families, governments and professionals aimed at strengthening relationships, promoting inclusion and participation.
The WMHD theme for 2026 is very apt for Nigerians suffering from mental illness and all Nigerians in the face of social conditions, particularly the rising cost of living and other life stressors in the country. Its core message speaks to the grim reality that patients with mental illness have to contend with budgetary hiccups from the government, which restrict investments in healthcare, and the absence of skilled workers lost to the brain drain syndrome.
The prevalence of mental illness in Nigeria and the near absence of care is a source of concern. According to the WHO, one out of four Nigerians suffers from mental illness. The Association of Psychiatrists of Nigeria stated that 60million Nigerians suffer from mental illness, with 90 per cent of them lacking access to proper medical care. Nigeria has just eight neuropsychiatric hospitals with just 300 trained psychiatrists for a population in excess of 200 million.
The picture becomes grimmer when we take into consideration the fact that seven out of the neuropsychiatric hospitals in Nigeria are concentrated in urban centres, namely Abeokuta, Lagos, Calabar, Benin, Enugu, Kaduna, and Maiduguri, while the only one that is located in a semi-urban town is in Kware, Sokoto State.
The implication of this imbalance means the vast majority of Nigerians, especially in the rural areas ravaged by abject poverty, are subjected to a severe mental health crisis highlighted by poor psychiatric infrastructure, a passive political class and the absence of adequate medical care.
As the global community celebrates the WMHD 2026, the National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates Confraternity) wishes to draw the attention of the government and all stakeholders to the varied experiences of our compatriots living with mental illness and to advocate for more attention to their plight.
While we acknowledge that significant milestones, including the 2021 Mental Health Act and the 2023 Mental Health Policy, have helped mental health gain traction in recent years, we advocate a review of the Mental Health Act to allow health insurance coverage for the treatment of depression, bipolar disorder and psychosis.
NAS/PC will also want to call on the Executive arm of government to work with the National Assembly and the State Houses of Assembly to follow through with decriminalisation of suicide.
The amendments which decriminalise attempted suicide and endorse medical care and psychological support instead of criminal punishments need to be implemented and monitored across the states to ensure safety nets for mental illness of Nigerians in rural areas.
More critically, the Federal Government should review its budgetary allocation to the health sector, especially mental health. Increased funding would ensure adequate facilities, equipment and better access for medical personnel, which would create a more conducive environment for skilled medical personnel, especially psychiatrists, discouraging them from leaving the country.
Mental Health deserves the full attention of all stakeholders. It calls for increased funding and coverage.
The time to advocate for the change is now.
Charles Meribole
NAS Cap’n
Abuja
