By Moses Kolo
About half of patients receiving treatment at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Kaduna, are presenting with substance-abuse-related disorders, its Medical Director, Prof. A’ishatu Yusha’u-Armiya’u, has said.
She disclosed this on Wednesday at a media parley in Kaduna to unveil the hospital’s new patient cards, telepsychiatry services and other digital innovations.
Yusha’u-Armiya’u said the rising number of acute substance-abuse cases had prompted the hospital to establish a dedicated toxicology ward for specialised treatment.
She said the decision followed challenges associated with managing patients experiencing acute substance-related conditions alongside other psychiatric patients.
According to her, some patients become highly aggressive during acute withdrawal and craving, sometimes resulting in attempted escapes and damage to hospital facilities.
“On inception in 2022, there was a ward that was being renovated.
“We changed the concept of the renovation and turned it into a toxicology ward,” she said.
The medical director said the ward, designed with measures to prevent patients from escaping, currently had capacity for 52 patients.
She said patients were usually kept there for a maximum of one month before assessment for possible admission into the hospital’s Drug Abuse Treatment, Education and Rehabilitation (DATER) programme.
Yusha’u-Armiya’u said substance-use disorder was recognised as a mental health condition under the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
She said admission into the rehabilitation programme was generally based on patients’ consent, although the Mental Health Act 2021 provided for involuntary admission where a patient posed a danger to themselves or others.
According to her, the DATER ward currently has capacity for about 42 patients and operates a structured four-month treatment programme involving doctors, nurses, psychologists and social workers.
She said the hospital had four to five trained addiction specialists among its doctors and nurses, supported by other professionals working as a therapeutic team.
On community-based mental healthcare, Yusha’u-Armiya’u said mental health services were already included in the primary healthcare package but remained insufficiently available at the grassroots.
She said the hospital had consequently partnered with relevant Kaduna State agencies to extend mental health services to communities.
The medical director said personnel from 19 general hospitals in the state had been trained under the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), while additional training had been provided to 23 centres of excellence.
She said the centres began implementation in August and recorded 1,075 patients in their first month.
According to her, about 75 per cent of the patients were female, with epilepsy, depression and perinatal psychosis accounting for most of the cases recorded.
Yusha’u-Armiya’u said substance-abuse cases were also being identified and managed through the community-based approach.
She said the approach would allow greater focus on awareness, prevention, mental health promotion and reducing stigma, while easing pressure on limited inpatient facilities.
The medical director said the hospital was also renovating additional wards, including 54-bed and 44-bed facilities, to expand its capacity for psychiatric and substance-abuse treatment.
She said the hospital would continue to combine clinical services with research, training and community-based interventions to improve mental healthcare delivery.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the media parley formed part of activities marking the unveiling of the hospital’s new patient cards, telepsychiatry services and other digital innovations aimed at improving access to psychiatric care. (NAN)
Edited by Muhammad Lawal
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