Mental health: Professionals caution youngsters against drug use

Mr. Anegbode Odion, a mental health advocate, has advised young people to abstain from drug usage for the sake of their mental health.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos, Odion, the vice president of the Heritage Advancement Forum (HAF), offered the suggestion.

He cautioned young people against misusing drugs and other substances and added that drug misuse was the root cause of more than 90% of mental diseases.

Odion expressed regret that many young people were unaware of the consequences of drug use, noting that it might have an impact on one’s mental, moral, financial, and physical behaviour.

He contends that it is crucial to convey to young people the effects drug abuse has on their mental health.

He described how youth drug use could cause both short-term and long-term alterations in the brain, which could result in mental health problems like hallucinations, depression, anxiety, and memory loss.

“Many young people were unaware of the negative consequences long-term drug misuse had on their mental health.

“Abusing drugs can wreck a person’s life and render them permanently disabled.

“Smoking cannabis may cause a mental disorder to manifest and lead to the onset of mental disease in someone who is predisposed to acquiring such a condition.

This is so that a hereditary mental disorder can be expelled by other variables. Therefore, it is advised to avoid all forms of drug/substance misuse in order to be on the safe side.

He claims that many people who have a long-term drug or chemical addiction are frequently labelled with a mental condition.

According to the mental health advocate, drugs like cocaine and marijuana may have a harmful impact on learning and memory.

Odion bemoaned the fact that many Nigerians were unaware that alcohol was also regarded as a narcotic and that long-term consumption might result in mental health issues like memory loss, brain damage, and vision loss.

Despite the advocacy, campaigns, and interventions to reduce drug abuse, he claimed that people (especially young people) still had access to narcotics.

“It is unfortunate that the majority of young people abuse drugs,” he stated.

You’ll be startled when you reach certain areas of Lagos at the number of men and women, boys and girls, who are between the ages of 13 and 15, who are smoking and doing narcotics.

Odion advocated for harsh government action to restrict access to illegal drugs while advising parents to be involved in their children’s upbringing for the benefit of society.

Additionally, he exhorted key players to step up campaigns highlighting how drugs and substance addiction harm people’s mental and physical health. (NAN)