Dr. Amma Boadu
The Mental Health Authority (MHA) has held a two-day media training programme to promote mental health knowledge and stimulate favourable attitudes towards persons living with mental illness.
The training programme took participants including editors and reporters of various media houses in the capital through topics such as mental health, depression and suicide as well as the appropriate use of terminologies for reporting on the health condition.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the MHA, Prof. Akwasi Osei, opening the session said the media has played a significant role in reducing the stigma and discrimination towards persons with mental illness and fostering supportive attitudes towards the mental health system.
He, however, noted that there are some areas that the media will require further strengthening to achieve the role of promoting mental health literacy.
Prof. Osei drew the attention of participants to the negative impact words have on individuals indicating that using positive words leads to the release of ‘feel-good’ hormones which help to build confidence and resilience in an individual.
He said terminologies such as ‘mad’, ‘lunatic’, ‘crazy’ and ‘imbecile’ are inappropriate to use on people with mental illness indicating that instead, ‘a person living with mental illness’ was apt.
“We should also not use ‘committed suicide’ because commit is used for a crime, instead we should say ‘died through suicide or ‘has taken his or her life”.
Dr. Amma Boadu, Deputy Director of Mental Health at the Ghana Health Service, noted that biological, psychological and social factors can expose an individual to mental illness.
“Substance abuse, emotional, physical or sexual abuse, loss of significant loved one, neglect, sever or long-term stress are some of the risk factors,” she said. “Both men and women are at the same risk and it affects both children and adults.”
She said about 20 to 40 per cent of the population has one form of mental illness or another indicating that up to 40 per cent of hospital beds are occupied by people with mental illness or people whose conditions are influenced by mental illness.
Dr. Boadu therefore urged the public to show sympathy to people with mental illness and help them seek appropriate medical help.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri