From left: Alexander Yaw Afful, member of the board, Amba Eyiaba I, Krontehemaa of the Ogua Traditional Area and Dr Akwasi Osei at the launch of the first anniversary of the establishment of the mental health board.
ABOUT 4.75 million Ghanaians are under mental distress, according to a study to assess the state of the country’s mental health.
The study conducted in 2009 has 41 percent of Ghanaians identified with psychological distress and for 19 percent, the distress was moderate to severe, indicating it could be considered a mental disorder.
Dr Akwasi Osei, acting Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Authority, said it is estimated that some 700,000 people out of the figure are having a major disorder including schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions.
“These are severe mental illnesses that lead to distortion of reality and thinking and interfere with one’s quality of life and of course his productivity,” he said.
Dr Osei was speaking at the launch of the maiden celebration of the establishment of the mental health board on the theme: ‘Ensuring Quality Mental Health Care For All Persons In Ghana’.
Burden
The extent of the mental distress for a low middle income country, the acting CEO of the mental health board, said constitutes about seven percent loss of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
He said, “In other words, if we are able to prevent 19 percent of the population from developing this distress or intervene early to treat them, we would save ourselves the loss of 7 percent of our GDP.”
Dr Osei further explained while the dreaded HIV/AIDS contributes to 7 percent of lives lost to disabilities in Ghana, neurological and psychiatric disorders contribute to 9.8 percent loss of lives in the country due to mental disability.
“The worrying trend is that we do not have the resources to deal with the problem. For every 100 people who require mental healthcare, only two percent are getting some form of care,” he said.
He lamented that while the country require not less than 100 psychiatrists for our population, there are only 14 practising psychiatrists.
Future
Dr Osei, however, noted that despite the constraints faced by health professionals and institutions in addressing mental health, there are developments that are changing the paradigm given the necessary respite.
“The board has supported a programme where mentally ill persons are taken in small numbers to psychiatric hospital and treated. So far, 40 of such patients have benefited,” he said.
The programme for the anniversary celebration includes a float, a public lecture and the launch of the mental health fund.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri
Via: -Daily Guide
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