Head of the Psychology Department at the University of Ghana, Professor Joseph Osafo says young people who continuously play competitive video games and also watch violent movies could have their mental health disoriented.

According to him, neurocognitive scientists have advised that young people should not be exposed to the above activities because they affect the brain nerves and later, their "structural integrity."

"Some studies have indicated that when young people are exposed to watching violent movies they are engaging in competitive games, maybe these video games where they're all the time competing.

"These days, some neurocognitive scientists will tell you it's not even good for you to expose your child to highly competitive situations because of the structural integrity that is affected when it comes to their neural function. I'm talking about brain nerves and the way they function.

"So young people who are engaged in very competitive gaming and violent experiences, are likely to have their mental health compromised," he said on Joy FM's Super Morning Show on Wednesday.

Explaining how such activities translate into young people becoming bullies, he explained that because such children are unable to vent on their parents when they have issues with them, they turn to channel that feeling into other avenues.

According to him, the young people would be looking for other "very fragile targets," including their colleagues.

Prof. Osafo added that this manifests when they start hurting their colleagues.

Photo credit: Hypernia Gaming News

He said another way young people become bullies is the indulgence in drug abuse.

The expert explained that Ghana's schools are becoming characterised by students engaging in drugs and also vaping.

According to him, research shows that there are over one thousand new substances that are in the black market to which young people have unlimited access.

Again, engaging in this act compromises their cognitive Integrity. They are likely to "misperceive and be delusional," he added.

Mental health has become a topic of discussion following a video circulating about a bullying incident in one of the Senior High Schools.

A senior student of Adisadel College is seen strangling and eventually smashing a junior student's head against a metal bed in their dormitory.

The perpetrator has since been dismissed pending further investigations.

Meanwhile, the victim is said to have also been punished for not reporting the incident to school authorities.

Experts said punishing the victim was wrong because in such a case where even other students watched on while he was being bullied, it would be difficult for him to report.

Although the victim is said to be receiving medical attention, psychologists said that in itself is not enough.

They are advising the authorities to put in mechanisms to ensure that the victim becomes psychologically sound and that he can feel comfortable joining his colleagues back in the classroom.