A Special Report on the management of mental health cases released by the Auditor-General shows a disturbing trend.

Topmost is inadequate and erratic supply of medicine needed to improve the conditions of patients.

These are medicines that the Mental Health Authority is expected to make available to Mental Health Facilities.

The report notes that this situation forced caregivers to require patients to buy drugs even though the Mental Health Act makes such treatment free.

The state of this sector and the need for effective treatment became topical after a mentally challenged woman allegedly killed a man here in Accra on August 1, 2022.

https://www.myjoyonline.com/mentally-challenged-woman-stones-man-to-death-at-kwame-nkrumah-circle/

Meanwhile, the National President of the Ghana Psychological Association (GPA), says Ghana is currently experiencing a “mental illness inflation.”

Dr Collins Badu Agyemang attributed the problem to stress, anxiety, and loss of jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the increase in crime, violence amongst the youth and high level of unemployment, among others.

https://www.myjoyonline.com/ghana-experiencing-mental-illness-inflation-psychiatric-association/

He said in terms of policy making and budgetary allocations at the national level, much is needed to be done to strengthen the relevance of psychological health in Ghana.

Dr Collins Badu Agyemang said this during the launch of the Ghana Psychology Week 2022 in Accra.

The celebration was themed: “Scaling up Psychology and its practice in the post-pandemic future: Reaching out to the vulnerable.”