By
Dennis Peprah, GNA
Sunyani, Oct. 1, GNA – Alcoholism is currently
a major cause of mental health disorders in the Brong-Ahafo Region, Mr Joseph
Yere, the Regional Mental Health Coordinator, said at the weekend.
He said instances of such cases were gaining
alarming proportions and appealed for concerted efforts and decisive action to
deal with the excessive intake of alcohol among the youth.
Speaking at a stakeholders meeting in Sunyani,
Mr Yere said out of the about 4,000 cases of mental illnesses recorded in the
region from January to June this year, 403 cases were due to alcoholism.
He said other substances abuse such as
tramadol and Indian hemp were also contributory factors to the current state of
mental health in the region.
He said epilepsy particularly among children
recorded 1,405 cases, schizophrenia- 1,098 and bipolar disorders- 518.
The meeting, which was organised by the MIHOSO
International Foundation and Basic Needs- Ghana, was attended by District and
Municipal Directors of Health and aimed at sensitising the participants on a
mental health project being implemented by the two NGOs in the region.
With support from STAR Ghana and its
development partners, the 36-month project titled “Accessible and Quality
Mental Health Care for Poor and Marginalised Persons with Mental Disorders”, is
aimed at improving community mental health treatment through increased funding
to the mental health service.
It is being implemented in Tano North,
Sunyani, Techiman and Berekum Municipalities as well as Techiman North and
Sunyani West Districts of Brong-Ahafo.
Mr Yere expressed regret that mental health
problems were surging in the region and called for concerted efforts to tackle
it.
He said depression among women because of
broken homes and marital problems was also high and appealed to the general
public to report cases of mental illness and also support patients to seek
medical attention.
Mr Thomas Benarkuu, the Director of Programmes
of MIHOSO, said the 36 month project also seeks to advocate for funding for
mental health and appealed to the project implementing communities to support
it.
GNA