Prof. Akosa warns of growing mental health crisis
The former Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa has said mental health has become a significant issue in the country.
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He pointed out that many families with members suffering from mental illness were uncertain about how to address the problem.
“One of the greatest damages now is mental health. It is now a huge problem. Families that have members who have mental health (issues) don’t know what to do”, he stated.
Prof Akosa, who is also a renowned cellular pathologist and lifestyle wellness consultant, noted that mental health issues often progress to depression, which many people fail to recognise.
“When it starts with depression, many people would not recognize it. Even those that are bipolar, they are the life and soul of parties”, he explained.
He observed that mental health problems had become so insidious and pervasive that it was challenging to determine what was normal.
Prof Akosa asserted that loneliness is deadly, citing recent evidence, and criticised the move away from the extended family system due to economic reasons.
“Currently, all evidence showed that loneliness kills. In this country, we are shying away from our extended family system because of economies. We are all running away from family system and responsibility. But once upon a time, we were all there. There was group participations, group eating, group everything”, he added.
