The female Professor of Psychiatry in Nigeria and Provost, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Olayinka Omigbodun; Head of Biomedical Communications, College of Medicine, Dr. Olayinka Egbokhare, Communications and Research Uptake Manager, SUCCEED Global, Chuka Ononye and others have urged support for those with psychosocial conditions, like depression and others.
The scholars stressed the need for everyone to reach out to friends and family members.
They made the call during a stage play and applied theatre on mental health titled: ‘The Spellbinder’, which was produced by an award-winning playwright, Prof. Bode Sowande.
 The event took place at Paul Hendricks Lecture Theatre, College of Medicine, UI/ University College Hospital, Ibadan.
 The programme was done under the platform of  the SUCCEED Africa Research Consortia, Nigeria Team, College of Medicine, UI.
SUCCEED stands for Support Comprehensive Care and Empowerment for People with Psychosocial Disabilities in Sub-Saharan. It is an international partnership of research groups, which aims at developing and evaluating an enhanced package of care for people with psychosocial disabilities in the region.
Omigbodun, who is the Principal Investigator for the SUCCEED Nigeria project, said the study involved four countries in Africa, with a coordinating partner in the London School Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in the United Kingdom.
She said that there were many kinds of mental disorders and therefore no one could say one form or another did not exist in his or her family.
The professor added that somebody could have depression, hallucination or delusion.
To reduce the rate of psychosis, the psychiatry professor called on Nigerians to support one another.
She said: ‘’We should be one another’s keeper. These are difficult times. If you have a little bit more, look for somebody to support. That’s what I’ve been trying to practise. If people are aggressive or irritable in the office, find out, it may be they don’t have money to go home. If you notice that your neighbour or somebody does not have money, support him or her.
‘’We need to be our brother’s keeper. We need to support one another, we need to be patient more than ever before, because people are going through difficult times, really difficult times.
 ‘’In places like the UK, they have food banks, social welfare, you can go and collect little money. Unfortunately, we don’t have that here. But we have other social welfare systems. We are the social welfare –  our churches, our mosques, where people can go collect something and support one another are the social welfare. I believe this season will pass’’
In his remark, the Communications and Research Uptake Manager, SUCCEED Global, Ononye, said: ‘’In a bid to extend our outreach and foster meaningful dialogue within our community, the SUCCEED Africa Research Consortia , Nigeria, domiciled within the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan is honoured to present The Spellbinder, a stage play and applied theatre on mental health produced by award-winning playwright, Prof. Bode Sowande. We embark upon this endeavour because in the words of Eve Ensler, ‘theatre is a powerful tool for social change, capable of stirring hearts, challenging minds, and reshaping the fabric of society’’.