Conflicts Can Lead to Mental Illness (Page 55)

Story: Lucy Adoma Yeboah & Sahadatu Atintande (June 30, 2008)
THE Minister of State at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports, Ms Elizabeth Ohene, has observed that individuals in conflict zones go through experiences that made them prone to mental illness.
Sharing her experiences in areas such as Somalia, Sierra Leone and Liberia, where she saw people go mad overnight because of atrocities they witnessed, Ms Ohene said the present situation at Bawku should be a concern to all.
In her address to participants at a three-day International Conference of African Association of Psychiatrists and Allied Professionals (AAPAP) in Accra, she said the situation could be even more complex when it involved children because they were vulnerable and could easily be affected.
“What kind of training is given to our children if they wake up each morning to hear the sound of gunshots and see violence everywhere?” she queried.
Quoting health experts, Ms Ohene said mental health was considered the fourth major health problem in Ghana, adding that if nothing was done immediately about the situation, by 2015 depression alone was going to be the second most significant health problem.
She said mental illness, just like HIV/AIDS, could no longer be considered as a health issue but rather developmental, which, if not properly addressed, would compound the socio-economic problems of the continent.
The minister of state said presently, Africa was going through a lot of social changes, bringing with them serious mental issues and therefore called for the necessary steps to take to promote mental health on the continent.
She touched on stigmatisation facing people affected by the disease and appealed to health professionals to help demystify the disease in order to eliminate the stigmatisation.
The President of the AAPAP, Dr F. G. Njenga of Kenya, expressed delight that there were many individuals on the African continent knowledgeable on how to handle the issues of mental health, adding that the continent could boast professionals who could “stand firm and tall in the world of psychiatry, having worked diligently to create a deep and strong foundation for its future”.
He said AAPAP had achieved a lot, including the production of a textbook entitled “Essentials of Clinical Psychiatry in Sub-Saharan Africa” and had also started its own official publication “the African Journal of Psychiatry” that appeared regularly.
In his welcoming address, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the conference, Dr Sammy Ohene, promised a fruitful meeting.
The chairman for the programme, Dr Awua Siaw of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), said in order to effectively tackle the issue of mental health, there was the need for the supply of adequate resources, adding that although efforts were being made in that direction, what was available currently was not enough.
In an interview, the Chief Psychiatrist of the Accra Psychiatry, Dr Akwasi Osei, said the conference would offer all the participants the opportunity to share ideas and learn from one another, adding that a total of 48 presentations were going to be made.
He also expressed the hope that after the meeting, each country would be in a better position to form a stronger association locally for the benefit of the people of Africa.