A consultant psychiatrist at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano, Dr. Aminu Ibrahim Shehu, has urged journalists to place the issue of mental health on the front burner for their well-being.
Dr Shehu stated this while presenting a paper titled; “Pressure Amid Deadline: Psychiatric/Mental Health Precautions,” during a two-day retreat, organized by Kano Correspondents’ Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
The theme of the retreat was “Emerging Trends In Journalism: Impact of AI, News Sources and Digital-Driven Newsroom In Modern Journalism; Task Before Journalists”. It held at Pyramid Hotel, Kaduna.
According to the consultant, “Journalists are stressful and always under pressure to meet deadlines and break the news. Journalists are constantly under pressure. What can we do about it? Even though stress is always around us. The only place you stay without stress is at the grave yard.”
He decried the fact that journalists witness first hand tragic and traumatic events which in most cases affect their psychology, causing stress and depression.
However, Dr. Shehu underscored the fact that, “in every tragic and gory occurrence, after the military, journalists must be there to report the event”. He insisted that journalists must devise means and strategies of avoiding stress and trauma.
According to him, even though journalists constantly face trauma and relentless pressure, there is a need for them to seek medical and emotional help to be able to live longer and continue telling the stories.
ThePsychiatrist, who gave a series of examples of journalists who died either by suicide or through depression, advised on the need to always identify the source of mental health problems, seek solution, and cultivate the culture of having enough rest and sleep.