1. Nigeria
Taylor Lacey

2. General Statistics Accounts for 1/6th of African population
Total population: 169 million
Median age of population: 17.8 years
Life expectancy at birth: 52.3 years
Estimated population growth rate: 2.5%
Religion: Nearly equally divided between Christianity and Islam
Poverty stricken communities with low living standards

3. Society characteristics
President, Goodluck Jonathon, is head of state and government
Main income revenue from mining petroleum
Over 250 ethnic groups- religious and ethnic tensions often lead to violence and crime among different groups
Human rights problems include extrajudicial killings, abuse by security forces, degrading treatment of prisoners, human trafficking, domestic violence, and child sexual exploitation

4. Health status
-Health care is influenced by local and regional factors, leaving limited availability in rural areas where 70% of the population resides
 -Percentage of federal government expenditure on health care is only about 1.5%
-Increasing ratio of doctors to patients threatens the physical and mental wellbeing of the country

5. Common health problems
HIV/AIDS
Diarrhea
Malaria
STI’s
Cholera
Nutritional deficiencies
Measles
Rubella
Tuberculosis
Yellow Fever
Leprosy
Birth Related Death
Pneumonia

6. Mental health disparities
Mental health services are only offered at eight psychiatric departments of 12 major university affiliated medical centers.
Very few general hospitals provide mental health services
Formal settings are not as popular as herbalists and faith based centers- more individuals turn to them for mental and physical health problems
For every 100,000 people, there is less than one psychologist and/or social worker available.

7. Understanding mental health issues
-Very low standard of living
-Poverty
-High infant mortality rates
-Lack of understanding of mental health issues and their causes
-Social stigma prevents community from utilizing traditional healers

8. World Health Organization, 2006

9. Health interventions needed
Mental health facilities are inaccessible to the general population
All major mental health facilities are owned by the government
No beds set aside for children or adolescents for inpatient settings
General hospitals do not provide counseling, support groups, etc.
Disparity in mental health worker to patient ratio
No system for reporting mental health issues

10. Bibliography
The World Bank. (2013). Retrieved November 2013, from Nigeria: Country At A Glance:
Wauchope, S. (2012, March). Human Development Reports. Retrieved November 2013, from International Human Development Indicators :
World Health Organization (2006). Retrieved November 2013, from Mental Health System in Nigeria:
World Health Organization (2012, January). African Region: Nigeria Statistics Summary (2002-present). Retrieved November 2013, from