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Prevalence of Mental Disorders in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Southeastern Nigeria

Background: Increasing psychological stressors have posed challenges to the well-being of the people across the globe and greatly affected the functionality and economic output of the individuals and the society. Nigeria has no existing mental health registry. Data on the prevalence of mental disorders are not readily available owing to lack of mental health registry. Hence, this study assessed the prevalence of mental disorders in Abakaliki metropolis, Ebonyi State. Aim: To determine the prevalence of mental disorders and associated factors among the residents of Abakaliki metropolis, Ebonyi State. Method: This cross-sectional descriptive research study involved 400 participants. Questionnaires adapted from world mental health diagnostic interview and General Health Questionnaire 12 were used for data collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and hypotheses tested using chi-square test at significance level of .05. Results: The prevalence of mental disorders among the respondents was 70% depressive disorders and 52.3% substance use disorders—tranquilizers (34.9%) and stimulants (15.8%) were the commonly used, while 85.3% suffered anxiety disorders. These were common among age range of 19 to 28 years—those with higher education and the unemployed. More females had mental disorders except substance use disorders, which was higher in males (53.4%). There was no significant relationship between mental disorders and the demographic variables, but significant relationship was found to exist between individuals’ age and anxiety disorder. Conclusion: Mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders, are common among the respondents and, therefore, calls for urgent attention of the government to improve the mental health of the people.