B/A: Alcoholism, major contributor to mental health cases

Alcoholism is currently a major cause of mental health disorders in the Brong-Ahafo Region, Mr. Joseph Yere, the Regional Mental Health Coordinator, said over the weekend.

He said cases of alcoholism were increasing in the area and appealed for concerted efforts to deal with the excessive intake of alcohol among the youth.

Speaking at a stakeholders meeting in Sunyani, Mr. Yere said out of the about 4,000 cases of mental illnesses recorded in the region from January to June this year, 403 cases were due to alcoholism.

He said other substances abuse such as tramadol and Indian hemp were also Impacting the mental health of people in the region.

The meeting, which was organized by the MIHOSO International Foundation and Basic Needs-Ghana, was attended by District and Municipal Directors of Health.

Th meeting was aimed at sensitizing the participants on a mental health project being implemented by the two NGOs in the region.

With support from STAR-Ghana and its development partners, the 36-Month project titled “Accessible and Quality Mental Health Care for Poor and Marginalised Persons with Mental Disorders,” is aimed at improving community mental health treatment through Increased funding for the mental health service.

It is being implemented in Tano North, Sunyani, Techiman and Berekum Municipalities as well as Techiman North and Sunyani West Districts of Brong-Ahafo.

Mr. Yere expressed regret that mental health problems were surging in the region and called for concerted efforts to tackle it.

He said depression among women because of broken homes, and marital problems were also high.

Mr. Yere, therefore, appealed to the general public to report cases of mental illness and also support patients to seek medical attention.

Mr. Thomas Benarkuu, the Director of Programmes of MIHOSO, said the 36-month project also seeks to advocate for funding for mental health and appealed to the project implementing communities to support it.

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Source: GNA