To mark the 2024 Mental Health Day, Pantang Hospital hosted a Durbar, underscoring the critical need for enhanced public awareness and sensitization on mental health matters.
The Durbar was organised on Monday, October 7, 2024, at the forecourt of the hospital under the theme “It’s Time to Prioritise Mental Health in the Workplace.”.
Dr. Adwoa Kusi Kyere of the Ghana Health Service noted that World Mental Health Day serves as a global platform for mental health education, awareness, and advocacy aimed at combating social stigma.
The healthcare expert emphasized that a supportive work environment is vital for maintaining mental well-being, highlighting that unfavorable working conditions, including discrimination, inequality, excessive workload, limited job autonomy, and job instability, can have detrimental effects on mental health.
She was emphatic about the need for more effective approaches to preventing mental health risks at the workplace, a situation she noted could prevent productivity.
“The theme for this year is It’s Time to Prioritise Mental Health in the Workplace.” The theme is very crucial because research has revealed that almost 60% of the world population is at work, and so it is important for us to prioritise their mental health. Every worker should have a safe and healthy environment at work. Having a safe and healthy working environment can help reduce tension and conflicts at work and improve staff work performance and productivity. Without a safe environment for workers, especially those with mental health conditions, it can affect productivity.
She outlined several key workplace challenges that can compromise mental health, including skill underutilisation or mismatch; unsustainable workloads or work pace; insufficient staffing; prolonged or unconventional working hours; limited control over job responsibilities or workload; hazardous or subpar physical working conditions; organisational cultures that enable harmful behaviours; inadequate peer support or overly authoritarian supervision; incidents of violence, harassment, or bullying; under- or over-promotion; job insecurity, inadequate pay, or insufficient investment in professional development; and difficulties balancing work and personal demands.
According to her, we must encourage regular check-ups at approved mental health facilities, as seeking help is not limited to persons with mental health conditions.
“If you are going through some challenges and you feel overwhelmed, find someone who can trust and speak to that individual and share your challenges with that individual. You can also find something you enjoy doing. You should also eat a well balanced diet. Having good sleep can also help your mental health. However, there are those who do all these things, and yet they are overwhelmed by the work they do either at home or at work. This may affect your functionality and will require professional help. You may sometimes have the urge to harm yourself or others. This is something that requires professional help, and you should not hesitate in walking into any mental health facility to seek help. The health facilities in the districts and regions provide mental healthcare services. You can walk into any of them and seek help.”
The Director of the Hospital, Dr. Frank Baning, on his part, called for an end to stigma against persons with mental health issues.
He attributes stigma to a lack of awareness, education, and understanding of mental health issues by those who perpetuate such acts.
He lamented that addressing stigma is so difficult due to myths and misconceptions people have about mental health.
‘’The myths and misconceptions about mental health have made the fight against stigmatisation so difficult. But mental health conditions can be likened to any other health conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, among others. There are people who have mental health conditions who are doing exceptionally well because they are taking their medications as prescribed. Indeed, several of them are doing better than the so-called sane people. So we have to deal with the stigma, educate the people, and create awareness,’’ he said.
He said in dealing with families that bring their relatives to the facility and abandon them, the hospital has adopted a new approach where it treats the patients and returns them to their families.
He revealed that the hospital maintains a record of family members’ details obtained from their Ghana card, thereby facilitating the tracing of families and the safe return of treated patients.
To achieve this, the facility is collaborating with the Social Welfare, Community Psychiatric Nurses, the local assembly, and other stakeholders.
He also announced that the hospital will start publishing such details in collaboration with the Daily Graphic Newspaper, GBC, and other media houses.
‘’We will collaborate with the GBC, Daily Graphic, and other media houses in publishing such details. When we clear mentally challenged persons from the streets and we treat them, we will publish their details in the media so their families will trace them and come for them,’’ he added.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
