Mental Health Awareness and Comprehension of Substance Use Consequences: An Analysis of students in the Department of Medicine & Surgery at University of Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

The mental, neurological, and substance use disorders constitute a significant and increasing global health concern with especially dire consequences in the low- and middle-income countries. Stigma, superstitious beliefs, and religious interpretations are additional sociocultural variables that affect mental health outcomes in numerous African settings and usually lead to late diagnosis and poor access to care (Whiteford et al., 2015; Okpalauwaekwe et al., 2017). Drug abuse is one of the leading social and health problems of the youths, acting as a high-risk group due to its effects such as violence, unsafe sex, school dropouts and psychosis and mental disasters (Odejide, 2006). This paper focuses on understanding and awareness of mental health among medical students in the Department of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Abuja, Nigeria on substance use consequences. Using a structured questionnaire as a need assessment instrument, the research meets the levels of knowledge, perceptions, and socio-cultural limitations that affect help-seeking behaviors. Through the findings, evidence-based mental health education and early intervention strategies and campus-based substance use preventive programs are expected to be informed in Nigerian university settings.