Hope is on the way for Nigerians battling depression as a new movie, Drops of Happy, premiered recently.
According to the producers, Little Drops of Happy was produced to raise awareness about postpartum depression and other mental health issues with a view to encouraging people to seek help early in order to prevent suicide and other consequences of depression.
Speaking at the premiere held at Silverbird Galleria, Lagos recently, Dr Kadiri, a consultant neuro-psychiatrist, mental health advocate and one of the producers of the movie, said that depression was a neglected condition, which could lead to a serious outcome if not managed early.
He said: “There is need for people to know that mental illness is real just like hypertension and diabetes. People with mental illness should be shown love and empathy; they need to be given support. Depression is treatable. Little Drops of Happy will create awareness on mental health and illness. The movie was borne out of the fact that we are seeing more cases of depression and suicide in Nigeria.
“The plot covers mainly issues of depression, especially postpartum depression, which is common among women. We advise that if one is at risk of depression or vulnerable, instead of getting to the state of managing it, you should speak out or seek help as a preventive measure; we must change the narrative.”