[ 2014-09-16 ]

Increase Mental Health Advocacy—BasicNeeds Ghana
Journalists in Ghana particular, those reporting
in the health sector have been urged to divert
attention more significantly to promote mental
health and the welfare of people with mental
illness or epilepsy.

BasicNeeds-Ghana, a mental health and development
advocacy organisation has engaged the media to
discuss possible ways of increasing advocacy of
mental health in Ghana through research and media
reportage.

The Guest Speaker, Professor J.B Asare, Board
Chairman of Mental Health Authority pointed out
that mental illness is a disease of the mind which
can be managed like any other diseases in the
country.

He said this under the forum for media on mental
health to increase the interests and attention of
the media to mental health issues.

The school of thought has been that, people
diagnose with mental illness or epilepsy
areconsidered outraged and eternally cannot be
treated or managed.

Professor Asare, during his presentation
enumerated a lot of interventions that took place
under the current regime including familiarization
visit to the three psychiatric hospitals, an
approved organogram for the authority, a formation
of sub-committees of the board namely fund
raising, human resource, technical and operational
sub-committee, and health fund committees.

Alfred NorteyDua, Department of Psychology,
University of Ghana, during his presentation
pointed out that the challengewhich hinders media
advocacy in mental health is the lack of tools,
skills, capacity and information necessary to
effectively report on mental health issues.

He therefore urged journalists to be tremendous in
generating public and policy discussions on mental
health issues by building their capacity.

According to him, journalists should raising
public awareness about mental health and mental
health services by reporting stories that will
promote access to safe, effective care and
reduction of the stigma associated with the
diagnose.

A short briefing paper by BasicNeeds noted that
the mental health sub-sector has received some
attention with the promulgation of a new law (Act
846, 2012) to replace the outdated Mental Health
Decree (NRC30) of 1972 including the
pronouncements of key policy authorities of
government and the health services.

Unfortunately, according to the briefing paper,
such pronouncements have not been backed by the
resources and necessary interventions needed to
improve the mental health situation in Ghana
whiles the available health infrastructure in the
country is generally poor with outdated devices
and equipment.

It further indicated that the situation could have
been addressed if there were a Mental Health
Policy and strategy to translate the
pronouncements, desires and aspirations into
practical actions.

The paper added that the absence of that policy is
hampering concerted steps such as the Legislative
Instrument (LI) to serve as implementation guide
for the Mental Health Law which is yet to be
approved.

Some challenges were that access to treatment
services is low adding that the treatment gap
hovers around over 90% percent, 37 percent of
people with mental illness and epilepsy have never
received treatment from health facility whiles the
remaining 63 percent who indicated that they have
received treatment actually went through a number
of unsuccessful treatment options (e.g.
spiritualists, soothsayers, traditionalists)
before treatment from psychiatrics.

Another challenges is the human resource needs,
during professorAsare’s presentation, there is
the critical need for psychiatrists, psychiatric
nurses and community psychiatric nurses because
out of the twelve psychiatrists, majority of them
are working in the psychiatric hospitals all
located in the southern coastal part of the
country.

The briefing paper further added that
infrastructure and logistics in Ghana are either
in a state of despair with outdated devices and
equipment- Out of the 10 regional hospitals in
Ghana only 7 have functioning Psychiatric Units.

According to the paper, psychotropic and
anti-epilepsy medicine supply and distribution has
been consistently irregular-government supplies of
the drugs stands at 40percent of required
quantities which is relatively low.

The stigma, public and community attitudes and
behaviours are becoming more worrisome because
people usually associate a spiritual cause as
being the responsible for mental illness or
epilepsy.

Notwithstanding, the local movie has been the
major cause of the stereotyping that mental
illness and epilepsy presenting a picture that
almost every mental illness is a curse or
punishment for some bad deeds.

In spite of these developments, the media were
asked to educate and inform the public that mental
illness is never a curse or a punishment however,
it is any diseases which can be managed and
sometimes treated completely by professional
psychiatrists.

Source - The Punch Newspaper

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