Ghana has joined hundreds of countries to celebrate World Mental Health Day with an event dubbed “The Wholesome Mind Experience,” held under the theme: “Psychological Safety: Children and Adults, Catastrophes and Emergencies in Focus.”

Mental health issues continue to receive limited attention in emergency response efforts. It is against this backdrop that the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Authority (MHA), Dr Vivian Maame Aba Dadzie, speaking to JoyNews, stressed the need to incorporate mental health screening into the country’s health response systems.

“We have realised that early detection is key. If we are not able to detect mental health issues earlier on, it can lead to people going into extreme forms of mental distress, and that is costly and expensive to treat,” she indicated.

The Director of Man-made Disasters at NADMO, Maxwell Emmanuel Ligbey, also identified gaps that continue to hinder effective mental health support during disasters.

“Because it is not very visible, you don’t see the response to mental health on the burner. That is one gap, and so you don’t get finances to it,” he noted.

A representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Joana Ansong, highlighted how many African countries still fail to integrate mental health into disaster preparedness and intervention plans.

“Data shows that only 11 countries in the African subregion have mental health and psychosocial components as part of their national disaster preparedness, as the WHO framework mandates,” she stated.

As the world marks Mental Health Day, the MHA is reminding the public to care for their own well-being and to check on others. Sometimes, simply asking, “How are you coping?” can open the door to timely support.