The Chief Executive Officer of the Global Media Foundation (GloMeF), Raphael Godlove Ahenu, says more than three million Ghanaians are living with mild mental health conditions, while over 600,000 others are battling severe cases.
Mr Ahenu, who heads the human rights and media advocacy organisation, disclosed this at the close-out and learning summit of the ‘Resilient City for Adolescents’ (RCA) project held at Fiapre in the Sunyani West Municipality of the Bono Region.
According to him, research continues to reveal the scale of Ghana’s mental health burden, stressing that the situation should be treated as a national priority.
“Research is showing the scale of Ghana’s mental health burden, and this is a clear indication that mental health must be treated as a national priority,” he stated.
Mr Ahenu explained that stress and socio-economic pressures were major factors contributing to mental health conditions in the country.
“In fact, many people are suffering in silence due to stigmatisation and limited access to care,” he added.
He said GloMeF, in collaboration with the Indigenous Women Empowerment Network and Citizens Watch Ghana, secured a £300,000 grant from Fondation Botnar through Ecorys United Kingdom to implement the three-year RCA project in the Sunyani and Sunyani West Municipalities.
The project, supported by consortium partners under the Healthy Cities for Adolescents Initiative, sought to equip young people to become active citizens and participate in social, political and economic activities.
The close-out session aimed to evaluate the implementation of the project, present lessons learnt and best practices, and showcase adolescent-led initiatives and innovations.
Mr Ahenu called on the nation to expedite the passage of the Mental Health Bill into law, saying delays were undermining efforts to improve mental health services and protect vulnerable groups.
“It’s worrying that the government isn’t paying much attention to the passage of the bill. We can’t have a country with a large number of people facing mental health challenges and yet have only 38 psychiatric doctors serving the entire population,” he lamented.
He said the passage of the bill would help secure adequate resources for the training, recruitment and deployment of mental health professionals across the country.
Mr Ahenu also urged families to pay closer attention to the psychological and emotional well-being of their children, warning that many early signs of mental distress often go unnoticed.
“The behaviour of some children isn’t in order, but their families have not taken notice to help them seek medical care,” he stated, adding that early intervention remained key to preventing mild conditions from becoming severe.
He further called for stronger collaboration among schools, health professionals and community organisations to provide timely support and care, while advocating greater inclusion of young people in decision-making processes.
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