Book Review

Book Title: Ghana International Journal of Mental Health
Editor-in-Chief: C. Charles Mate-Kole, Department of Psychology, University of Ghana, Legon.
Founder: Samuel A. Danquah, Professor of Psychology, University of Ghana, Legon.
Printed by: G-Pak Limited, a subsidiary of Graphic Communications Group Limited.
Reviewer: Lucy Adoma Yeboah

THE issue of mental health, especially in a society such ours, continues to be pertinent. This is rightly so because of lack of knowledge on the subject which had helped in a large extent to make those in authority to treat it with little or no importance.
A statement made by the Chief Psychiatrist of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Akwasi Osei, indicated that a situation analysis of mental health system and services in Ghana showed that there was little research output in mental health.
This makes the publication of the various write-ups titled: "Ghana International Journal of Mental Health", a welcome news, especially at this time in the nation's history when efforts are being made to get a new mental health bill into law.
Mental health, according to the editorial of the journal, is a continues issue in our society. It is considered a stigma even though at least one in three people would experience some kind of mental illness in the course of their lives.
"Despite these figures, mental illness appears to rouse negativity, thus isolating the mentally ill to a sub-human category," the editorial of the journal indicated.
Going through the Ghana International Journal of Mental Health, one could realise that the various writers have made attempts to present mental health to reflect its diversity and complexity.
The topics, as treated, cover a wide range of areas from depression, treatment approaches, cultural identity, dementia, acquired dyslexia, policy, aggression among other related issues worth reading. The materials as published in the new journal include original articles, as well as literature reviews from other writers.
As one goes through the pages, it becomes evident that the new journal has brought to the fore subject areas that have long been inadequately covered in this country and other parts of Africa.
In fact, the main aim of the journal is to reflect current mental health trends in many different countries and allowing mental health professionals the opportunity to become familiar with developments elsewhere.
"The journal devotes more attention to mental health issues through research and other articles which are of outstanding historical or biographical interest and often remain unpublished,” says S. A. Danquah, Professor of Psychology at the University of Ghana, Legon.
To encourage professionals in mental health to read and also contribute to the continuous publication of the journal, Dr Osei, who is also the head of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, stated that, "It is hoped that all mental health workers of all categories, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, social workers, clinical pharmacists in psychiatry, counsellors, therapists, psychiatric nurses, administrators, researchers and teachers alike, are all welcome to read and contribute".
"Let this be seen as the intellectual mouthpiece of all of us to share and promote knowledge," Dr Osei stressed.
The "Ghana International Journal of Mental Health" is published bi-annually in April and November.