Intensifying interest in mental health literacy

In the past week the mental health condition of the son of Archbishop Duncan-Williams, founder and General Overseer of the Action Chapel made the news after some videos went viral on the social media.

While this revelation seems to be stressful and traumatic for the family, dealing with the condition could even be worse. Thus, they really need our empathy and support in such difficult times.

Nonetheless, this revelation has demystified the misperception that mental disorders affect only the poor and vulnerable in society. Global estimates suggest that for every four people, one of them may be affected by a mental or neurological disorder sometime in their life. In short, mental illness could affect any individual irrespective of one’s social class.

According to Dr. Akwasi Osei CEO of Mental Health Authority about 40% of the population have mild to severe forms of mental disorders and modest estimates suggest that about 95% of them are not receiving treatment.

The prominent underlying factor is people generally have poor knowledge about mental illness leading to negative attitudes towards individuals with these conditions. These end in stigmatisation and discrimination of these individuals with devastating consequences such as neglect, not seeking professional treatment or delaying in seeking for treatment and may do so when the condition is at the worst stage. Therefore, these individuals and their families are struggling to deal with it.

Yet, keeping the condition a secret from the public or even from distant family members. This coping strategy is influenced by the deep-rooted stigma that the public has towards people with mental illness.

Fortunately, there is enough evidence to suggest that early help-seeking results in better outcomes for both the affected individual and family. However, the initiative to seek professional help is influenced by adequate appropriate knowledge about, and favourable attitudes towards mental illness. The Convid-19 pandemic has also been associated with mental health issues and linked with the prevalence of mental illness; this is a good time to initiate projects that would enhance the mental health literacy levels of the public.

Mental health literacy projects are smart, targeted and effective interventions aimed at positively shaping the knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which supports in recognition, management or prevention of a mental disorder. Therefore, current discussions about the alleged bipolar disorder in the wake of the Archbishop Duncan William’s son’s condition made public is a good effort.

It could whip up people’s interest in acquiring knowledge and developing favourable attitudes by participating in mental health literacy programmes/discourses. This has the potential to instil attitudinal change and make one’s social group and family more supportive and develop appropriate self-help strategies in dealing with mental health problems.

I would like to encourage families that are being secretive about a member’s condition to seek professional help for the individual. Opening up in times like this attracts empathy and supportive attitudes than otherwise. However, the mental health sector is under-resourced both financially and logistically. Consequently, an increase in request for service could potentially affect quality service delivery.

Nevertheless, Dr. Akwasi Osei have on numerous occasions lamented about these dire challenges and its negative impact on service delivery. Perhaps, this is an opportune time for equal minded and respectable men like Archbishop Duncan Williams to add their voices to the call for injection of resources into the mental health sector. I am sure they could envisage how that could transform the lives of many people.

Looking into the future, if we are to break away from the deep-rooted stigma towards mental disorders and profess help-seeking and supportive attitudes, I suggest our educational policy makers consider incorporating basic mental health education at the basic level.

Similarly, I suggest in-service training for medical, nursing and health professionals on completion of their studies to address attitudinal issues in their service delivery should be intensified. Often, they are the first group of professionals who will be presented with a case overtly or not. Their knowledge and attitudes towards mental disorders play a crucial role in their response to the case. This has implications on the outcomes for the individual.

That notwithstanding there is also the perception that some health personnel have stigmatising and discriminatory attitudes towards individuals with mental disorders negatively impacting seeking for help Therefore, mental health literacy programmes might help to develop favourable attitudes in them.

It is time for everybody to acquire appropriate and adequate knowledge about mental disorders as well as develop favourable attitudes towards people with mental disorders. Ending this paper, the question I would like to pose is - what would you do if a loved one, family member, friend or colleague got affected by a mental health problem? Are you knowledgeable and confident to provide help?

In the prevailing stigmatisation and discrimination, what if, you were the one who got affected? Are you confident about the knowledge and attitude of family members, friends and colleague to get desired support? It’s a shared responsibility. Let’s encourage each other to take interest in our mental health.

Written by Yaw Amankwa Arthur (PhD), a Mental Health literacy Expert. Mental Health & Well-Being Foundation
Email: yawartlyy@yahoo.com