Objective: The clergy in sub-Saharan Africa play a major role in the care and pathways to orthodox mental health services of the mentally ill. Their attitudes concerning mental illnesses would influence community mental health intervention efforts. This study aimed to determine the attitudes of clergy towards persons with mental illness. Method: A cross-sectional survey of clergy (n= 107) of the Christian and Muslim faiths was conducted, using a socio-demographic questionnaire and the 40-item Community Attitudes towards Mental Illness (CAMI) scale. Results: Stigmatizing attitudes were evident among members of the clergy surveyed. Most (71.1%) believed the mentally ill were different from other persons, while 68.2% were of the opinion that the mentally ill should be controlled like children. Over 80% of respondents were not comfortable with the idea of the mentally ill living in their vicinity and wanted mental health hospitals situated out of residential areas. Almost half of respondents (45.8%) were uncomfortable with women who were once mentally ill baby-sitting and 63.2% agreed that our mental hospitals seem more like prisons than where the mentally ill can be cared for. Conclusion: Negative attitudes towards the mentally ill were widespread among the clergy sampled. Mental health professionals need to take proactive steps to improve the mental health knowledge of the clergy which may facilitate their roles in the pathway to mental health care.

Objective: Aggression is a common feature in psychiatric in-patient units in Africa. The attitudes of psychiatric nurses and their perceptions of the frequency of in-patient aggression have not been explored in the Nigerian context. Method: Using a crosssectional study design, two self-report questionnaires (the Attitudes toward Aggression Scale (ATAS) and the Perception of the Prevalence of Aggression Scale (POPAS)) were administered to nursing staff (n=73) at two psychiatric facilities in Benin City, Nigeria. Results: Overall, nurses viewed aggression as offensive, destructive and intrusive. They were less likely to view it as a means of communication or serving protective functions. Verbal aggression was the commonest type of aggression experienced while sexual intimidation and suicide attempts were least common. Male nurses were more likely to experience physical violence and aggressive 'splitting' behaviours, while nurses with over a decade of professional experience were more likely to experience verbal and humiliating aggressive behaviours. In contrast to previous studies, fewer nurses required days off work due to aggressive behaviour. Conclusion: Aggression is commonly experienced by nurses in in-patient units in Nigeria. Their views were predominantly negative. Training programmes are required to change staff attitudes as well as research on the cultural factors mediating these attitude dispositions.

Background Earlier studies suggest that knowledge about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) among healthcare workers in Nigeria is low. This present study assessed the knowledge of Nigerian final year medical students about symptoms of ASD and some other aspects of ASD. This is a cross sectional descriptive study that drew a total of seven hundred and fifty-seven (757) final year medical students from ten (10) randomly selected fully accredited medical schools out of a total of twenty-seven (27) fully accredited medical schools in Nigeria. Sociodemographic and Knowledge about Childhood Autism among Health Workers (KCAHW) questionnaires were used to assess knowledge of final year medical students about ASD and obtain demographic information.ResultsOnly few, 218 (28.8 %) of the 757 final year medical students had seen and participated in evaluation and management of at least a child with ASD during their clinical postings in pediatrics and psychiatry. Knowledge and recognition of symptoms of ASD is observed to be better among this group of final year medical students as shown by higher mean scores in the four domains of KCAHW questionnaire. Knowledge about ASD varies across gender and regions. Misconceptions about ASD were also observed among the final year medical students.ConclusionsMore focus needs to be given to ASD in the curriculum of Nigerian undergraduate medical students, especially during their psychiatry and pediatric clinical postings.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13104-015-1433-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Oral complaints received are frequent and numerate with limited palliative action rendered. Attaching dentists to psychiatric hospitals and regular training of psychiatric nurses on oral care delivery are recommended to comprehensively cater for the oral health problems of psychiatric in-patients.

Background:High dose antipsychotic prescribing is common in psychiatric care, despite a lack of its benefit from research evidence. While several studies have explored the prevalence and factors associated with high dose antipsychotic prescribing, no such report has emanated from a developing country like Nigeria.Aim:The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of high dose prescribing among in-patients at a tertiary psychiatric hospital and to determine the pattern of antipsychotic drugs prescribed.Materials and Methods:An audit of in-patients at a regional tertiary psychiatric facility was carried out. We examined case notes and conducted oral interviews where necessary, on all patients receiving antipsychotics using a proforma designed for the study.Results:The prevalence of high dose prescribing was 38% (65/171) using a prescribed daily dose/defined daily dose ratio of 1.5. The rate of antipsychotic polypharmacy was 7% (12/171). The atypical antipsychotic, olanzapine was the most commonly prescribed antipsychotic in monotherapy. Predictors of high dose prescribing were diagnoses (P = 0.04), polypharmacy (P = 0.04), a history of previous in-patient care (P = 0.02), and use of anticholinergic drugs (P = 0.01).Conclusions:High dose prescribing was common among in-patients audited. Further studies are needed to examine factors that promote “high dose” prescribing.