By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The World Health Organization (WHO) has named the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, Ogun State, as one of the two sites conducting the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11) field studies in Nigeria.
Speaking about the programme, the Acting Provost and Medical Director of the foremost psychiatric hospital in Nigeria, Dr Adebowale Timothy, stated that the research capacity of the hospital has received a boost with her involvement in the WHO International classification of Diseases and Related Health problems (ICD-11) field studies.
Speaking further on the development, Dr Lucky Onofa, the WHO Global Mental Health Scholar and the Site Coordinator for Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro said that the ICD-11 Field trial is a revision process of ICD-10, a diagnostic tool used globally by Health professionals to diagnose and classify diseases.
According to him, “The primary principle guiding the revision process for ICD-11 is to provide more effective support to countries in reducing the disease burden associated with mental, and Neurological and substance use disorders.”
He said further that the ICD-11 will be a framework for health information and reporting with the aims of monitoring epidemics/threats to public health/disease burden, assessing progress towards meeting public health objectives and also to serve as a basis for guidelines for care and standard of practice.”
“The Ecological implementation (clinic-based) field studies will help guide the revision of the chapter on Mental and Behavioural Diseases of the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health problems, 10th Revision (ICD-10) to be incorporated in the 11th Revision of the classification, ICD-11,” he added.
The Research project, which will be conducted at treatment facilities around the world, will examine the clinical consistency (Inter-rater reliability) and clinical utility (goodness of fit, ease of use, and adequacy of the diagnostic guidelines of selected categories of mental and behavioural disorders chosen due to their high burden in the community.
The project is being supervised by the National Principal Investigator, Prof. Oye Gureje of the Department of Psychiatry, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan while Dr. Lucky Onofa would be working alongside with Dr. Lola Kola, a Senior Research officer of the Department of Psychiatry, UCH, Ibadan for the overall success of the field trials in Nigeria.
Since the establishment of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro in 1954, the hospital has continued to discharge her tripartite mandate in Clinical Services delivery, Research and Training & Human Capacity Development in mental Health services.
The hospital champions the mental health situation in Nigeria through different initiatives. These initiatives include mental health services at the Primary Health Care (PHC) level across Ogun State in collaboration with Ogun State Local Government Service Commission and mental health training of Primary Health Care workers across the twenty (20) Local Government areas of the state, in and out-patient services, Child and Adolescent mental health services, Addiction psychiatry and other services in the hospital. The innovative Aro Primary Care Mental Health Services, is aimed at reducing treatment gap in the country.
In Nigeria, the mental health situation has remained dismally deplorable with only 1% of the 10-18% of people suffering from mental illness having access to Specialist care.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Aduragbemi Omiyale