Dr Brightson (seated fourth from left), Dr Badimak Yaro(seated second from right) with the stakeholders after the meeting. Photo. Ebo Gorman
The Director of Family Health at the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and Technical Advisor to the Vice-President on Health, Dr Kennedy T.C. Brightson, has called for intensified public education and a shift in societal attitudes to address maternal mental health challenges in the country.
He observed that sociocultural and religious practices often placed undue pressure on women even before pregnancy, particularly when there were delays in childbirth, with blame frequently directed at women.
Dr Brightson made the call at a national stakeholder meeting on strengthening Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) for pregnant women and girls, as well as post-partum mothers living with or at risk of HIV and tuberculosis (TB). The meeting was held in Accra on Wednesday.
The event was organised by BasicNeeds-Ghana and provided a platform for stakeholders to build consensus on integrating MHPSS into HIV, TB and Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services, while also raising awareness about the need for such integration.
Dr Brightson explained that these sociocultural and religious pressures, coupled with the physical and psychological demands of pregnancy and childbirth, significantly affect the mental well-being of women.
He expressed concern that some affected women were mislabelled or subjected to harmful practices, including confinement and reliance solely on spiritual interventions, instead of being referred to health facilities for professional care.
While acknowledging the role of faith, he cautioned that ‘misdirected prayer’ should not replace appropriate medical treatment.
He, therefore, urged families to seek timely support from trained mental health professionals and advocated the inclusion of maternal mental health education in premarital counselling and community outreach programmes.
Dr Brightson also stressed the need to attract more health professionals into the mental health field through increased exposure and awareness, describing it as a critical but under-resourced area that required urgent national attention.
The Executive Director of BasicNeeds-Ghana, Dr Peter Badimak Yaro, underscored the importance of a coordinated national approach to integrating mental health into HIV, TB and sexual and reproductive health services.
He explained that a new initiative, building on an earlier inception meeting, seeks to establish a national coalition of health practitioners and advocates to promote mental health care within primary healthcare systems, including maternal and child health services.
Dr Yaro noted that stigma continues to limit access to mental health services, particularly among women and adolescent girls who are most vulnerable.
He identified discrimination linked to HIV and TB, as well as domestic violence and gender-based abuse, as major contributors to psychological distress and barriers to seeking care.
The Director of Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at the Mental Health Authority Ghana, Dr Evans Danso, pledged the authority’s support for efforts to integrate mental health into mainstream healthcare delivery.
He indicated that the initiative by VisitMeT aligns with the authority’s policy direction, particularly in linking mental health services with HIV, TB and sexual and reproductive healthcare.
Dr Danso commended the organisation for its contributions, noting that its previous interventions helped shape Ghana’s maternal mental health policy, which continues to guide current efforts.
He expressed optimism that sustained collaboration among stakeholders would improve public awareness, increase service uptake and support the expansion of integrated mental health services across the country.
BY EUGENE AMPIAW
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