The historical development of western psychiatric practice in northern Nigeria--an uphill struggle

The historical development of psychiatric services in what was Northern Nigeria is given. It started with the time when the only thing done for very psychotic patients was custodial in prisons. The appearance of many psychopharmacological agents after 2nd World War made possible the establishment of psychiatric units in general hospitals for the treatment of acute cases only. The arrival of Oshodi in 1961 led to the evolution of modern psychiatric services with the unit he started in Kaduna-Zaria at the apex of the services provided throughout the Northern States. The unit in Kaduna was to evolve into a University Teaching Department. It is still at the apex of psychiatric services of most of the ten Northern States. Some of the other erstwhile peripheral units have also metamorphosed into nuclei of the four younger University Teaching Units. From only one psychiatrist up to 1977, there are now 12 out of the just over 60 psychiatrists in the whole country, practicing in the Northern States. Relative mental health for the more than 50% of the 100 million people of Nigeria living in the Northern States by the year 2000 is very much in doubt unless something is done with dispatch.