Accessibility, affordability and visibility of mental health support is a universal critical need – Counsellor

The need to ensure enhanced accessibility, affordability, and visibility of mental health services in Ghana to all persons living in Ghana has become inalienable hence, the need for more trained professionals in communities, educational institutions, churches, firms’ mosques, and in all fields of human endeavors.

The head of the Guidance and Counselling Unit of the Dormaa Campus, Prince Kwame Affum, made this call in his presentation on a Zoom platform which was highly participated by psychiatrists, medical professionals, and educationists across the country to mark this year’s World Mental Health Day celebration on October 10, 2023.

It was a two-hour seminar organized by WisPoR Foundation, Accra in collaboration with the Ghana National Association of Certificated Counsellors (GNACC).

He was speaking on the theme “Mental Health is a Universal Right”.

He disclosed that every individual risks going through some form of mental state that could temporarily or otherwise affect his or her total well-being; quoting Carl Rogers's statement “ Show me a Sane man and I will cure him”.

He explained that for as long as anger, distress, suffocation, fear, depression, fatigue, feeling sad, anxiousness as well as obsessiveness or discomfort are associated with the daily lives of human beings, the need for mental health care cannot be overemphasized since everyone will need help.

Mr. Affum lamented the growing stigma, social exclusion, and discrimination against people with mental disorders, where people, instead of accepting such problems as ailments and disorders, would rather associate them with spiritual inflictions from curses, a situation he describes as unfortunate.

He therefore emphasized the need to intensify public advocacy and sensitization as well as increase the number of mental health infrastructure in the country to help offer mental health support and education to the masses.

Over 40 professionals across the country including the president of the (GNACC), Cecilia Tutu Danquah, and the CEO of WisPoR foundation- Accra, Gillian Takpo-Kumah participated in the seminar which lasted for two hours via Zoom.