Mental health hospitals have been without drugs for the past three years and this has been a major setback to treatments of mental illness in the country, says Dr. Sammy Ohene, Head of Department of Psychiatry, Korle Bu Teaching hospital.
The psychiatric expert said this has proven challenging because persons diagnosed with mental disorder could not be put on proper medication due to this lack.
He said mental hospitals have been depending on charitable donations from the Department of International Development (DFID) – the United Kingdom’s department responsible for the administration of overseas aid.
“I am little uncomfortable that as a nation we rely on other nations’ taxpayers money”, he noted.
In a discussion on mental health with other experts on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Dr. Ohene, said prices of a shot of anyone drug is expensive, and the absence of these drugs has worsened the already volatile mental health situation in the country.
“If you do not have the requisite medication, you are going to be in trouble”, he said. He added that the situation has caused them to run out of options in treating patients.
On his part, Chief Executive Officer of Brain Clinic, Dr. Yao Mfodwo, berated the use of “holy water” which he described as “anti-psychiatric medications” given to persons believed to be suffering from mental illness by some churches.
“If you lock up your child for a month or two, DOVVSU will be on your case”, he said, and wondered why the police are not moving on some of these churches.
He defused the impression that only persons of average means could get mental illness, adding “there are people in suit who are – for want of a better expression – crazy.”
Dr. Mfodwo stressed “treatments have become expensive” and yet there is a policy that requires treatment to be free. This, he said makes it practically impossible to make care available to everyone who needs it in the country.
He added “there are some people who are in the mental hospitals because others thought there was something wrong with them”, and this practice must be controlled.
For the past week, persons alleged to be mentally unstable have gruesomely murdered eight people in separate incidents in Assin Fosu in the Central region and Techiman in the Brong Ahafo region.
The experts agreed mentally unstable persons hear voices entreating them to kill, and this could explain the recent happenings in the country.
source-myjoyonline.com
