Youth Hub, a youth-focused radio program airing weekly on Wa-based Info Radio, has, on its latest edition on Saturday, March 04, 2023, taken a deeper introspection into mental illness and mental health issues among young people and the larger society as a whole.
Mental illness is increasingly becoming common among teenagers throughout Ghana and globally as recent studies indicate that approximately one in five teens between ages twelve and eighteen suffer from at least one diagnosable mental health disorder.
Statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ghana Mental Health Authority (GMHA) show that an estimated 3.1 million Ghanaians, representing 10 per cent of the nearly 31 million population of Ghana, have one form of mental disorder or another, with 16,000 having severe cases.
Discussing the issues, the program host, Madam Vivian Danuor, said mental health is a public health concern that every person must take interest in to ensure that lives are saved and futures preserved.
She expressed concerns over the increasing rate of mental health issues among the youth, questioning where the much-anticipated future attributed to the youth lies when an overwhelming majority of them are suffering from one mental health issue or the other.
“And these are the youth who are supposed to take the reins of power, the reins of governance and positions of authority…. so what is the future, what is the hope?” she quizzed.
Madam Danuor intimated that “a healthy body without a healthy mind cannot do anything, it is a healthy mind that can bring something to a healthy body.”
She, therefore, urged the public to be observant and be each other’s keepers in helping to identify signs of mental disorders for early diagnosis and timely treatment.
Mr Yussif Seidu, a Senior Staff Nurse with the Psychiatric Unit of the Wa Municipal Hospital, a panellist, observed that psychosis and schizophrenia were the most reported and recorded issues of mental health among young people in the Municipality.
He cited neglected personal hygiene, poor eating and nutrition habits, and sudden change in daily routines, among others as some of the behavioural symptoms associated with mental health including psychotic symptoms such as hallucination, delusion as well as confused and disturbed thoughts.
Mr Seidu further observed that delay and refusal to seek medical attention on the part of some victims and families mostly lead to the aggravation of mental illnesses, saying treatment could be given if diagnosed early enough.
He attributed this to a lack of awareness and in some cases, attribution of mental illness to spiritual causes and some families’ attempt to avoid public ridicule as some factors that prevent them from seeking help at the health facilities.
He, however, commended the efforts of some religious leaders in providing psychological support to mental health victims to come out of their situations and urged all others to do the same to reduce the ravaging effects of mental illness in society.
Madam Patience Chia, a Community Health Nurse also with the Psychiatric Unit of the Wa Municipal Hospital, who was also a panellist on the show, urged the public to seek mental healthcare attention from the hospital rather than subjecting victims to abuses by chaining and locking them down in rooms.
She also urged young people to take care of their mental health by observing positive life and good health attitudes in order to avoid falling prey to mental health issues.
Youth Hub is a program that is dedicated to youth development and empowerment through needs-based communication and information delivery, and it currently airs on Info Radio 91.1FM every Saturday from 1500hrs to 1400hrs.