Speaking at a youth colloquium organized in Tamale, Mr David Acquah, a Clinical Health Psychologist from Tamale Teaching Hospital, bemoaned that less attention is given to mental health cases in Ghana even though mental health disorder is a severe illness that demands full attention.
According to him, “more needs to be done on mental health issues in terms of training of personnel and the provision of needed equipment to address mental health problems”.
Mr Acquah, noted that, eradicating mental health illness in the country will increase labour force which will significantly contribute to the development of the country.
He noted further that, tackling mental health illness will also reduce the threats that individuals suffering from mental illness posit to people around them and the country at large.
He stated the urgent need to build enough rehabilitation centres to support the few once already existing in Accra and cape coast to tackle mental health illness.
He recalled the country does not need huge budgets to work on the cases of mental health, “with an appeal on district assemblies to factor issues of mental health in their budget”.
Mr David Acquah admonished, issues on mental health should not be associated with witchcraft, but rather, the major concentration should be on the physical aspects of mental health and how to prevent it from happening.
Mr Fabian Jarfert, the Tamale chapter president of curious minds organization lamented that, “mental health is one of the crucial societal challenges in Ghana with less attention, stressing the need for government to consider mental health issues when making decisions”.
Source:Fiilafmonline/ShawanaYussif
