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HEALTH

Wa West records 3,641 mental health cases

The Wa West District has recorded a total of 3,641 mental health conditions from 2016 to the second quarter of 2019.

Date Created : 11/8/2019 12:00:00 AM : Story Author : Dominic Andonye

The Wa West District has recorded a total of 3,641 mental health conditions from 2016 to the second quarter of 2019.

Mr Clifford Veng, the Wa West District Director of Health Services has announced.

He was speaking at a community Durbar on mental health at Wenchiau in the Wa West District organised by the Human Rights Advocacy Centre in collaboration with Mind Freedom Ghana.

The programme was on the theme: "Protecting the Wellbeing and Rights of Persons with Mental Disabilities".

Mr Veng said statistically the District recorded 608 cases of mental conditions in 2016, 734 in 2017, 1,840 cases in 2018 and 459 cases in the second quarter of 2019.

He said even though epilepsy/seizure was the leading cause of all mental health conditions recorded from 2016 to 2018 there were other factors such as schizophrenia, delusional disorders, depression, neurotic and mental disorders due to alcohol use, behavioral disorders, pregnancy related disorders, mental disorders due to psychoactive use and other mental disorders not specified.

Mr Veng said the District Health Directorate with support from the District Assembly and other stake holders had carried out mental health activities, which included registration of people with mental illness on the NHIS, donation of animals, sewing and hairdressing machines for stable patients to learn trade and provision of psychiatric drugs for mental patients.

Mr Nii Lartey Addicoy, the Co-director of the Mind Freedom Ghana and the Human Rights Advocacy Centre, said people with mental disorders were often excluded and kept away from decision making even when issues being discussed directly affected them.

According to Mr Addicoy the fundamental human right of people with mental disabilities was often violated and abused as well as denying them the opportunity to reach their own potential.

He said it was because of this that Mind Freedom Ghana and Human Rights Advocacy Centre sought funding from Star Ghana Foundation to organize the durbar to educate people on how to take care of people with mental disorder in their communities and families.

The programme was attended by the paramount chiefs of Dolimo and Wechiau traditional areas, some selected heads and students of junior and senior high schools within the District, heads of departments, youth groups, trade unions and other identifiable groups within the Wa West District.