As humans, mental health stability is a crucial factor that is necessary to maintain sanity in this very challenging world.
The World we live in is full of vagaries; challenges privy only to the eyes of the future.
In one way or another, we experience life throwing lemons our way, leaving us with the sole responsibility to either turn them into lemonade or eat them sour. For some, an opportunity to choose isn’t an option unfair right? But that is Life; simply unpredictable.
Mental health Challenge is a worrisome canker in today’s society, affecting great prospects of enviable futures and drowning many in its dark embers. Arguably so one out of the many lemons life presents.
Statistically, 19% of Ghanaians have mental illness, while 43% experience some form of psychological distress. Despite this, there is a severe shortage of mental health professionals and resources, leading to a 98% treatment gap.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some contributing factors to mental health conditions in Ghana include anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders.
For a developing Country like ours, this statistic is definitely worrisome but the real challenge lies with how these few unfortunate people are treated.
NEGLIGENCE OF THE MENTALLY CHALLENGED:
Now, the growing number of the mentally challenged on our streets is a topical issue, defeating the role of social welfare structures and reiterating the 98% treatment gap, which addresses the lack of resources and health professionals to cater to the mentally challenged in the country, just as the WHO reports.
Also, financial demands, spiritual associations with this menace, the stigmas, and lack of awareness sometimes tend to be contributing factors
that drive these people onto the streets. The evidence of all of these is seen when the mentally challenged are left to roam the streets without guidance, thereby seemingly taking control and living as ‘Kingpins’ on the street.
Even though they appear stuck in their own world of oblivion and seem unconcerned about the happenings around them, their actions sometimes pose a significant threat to unsuspecting citizens in the country.
THE NUANCE OF BULLYING:
Maybe it is the feeling of insecurity and lack of trust for humanity that makes the mentally challenged behave as such, or probably the delusions of their mind relative to the freedom they have on the streets and the need to protect and control it. These are the many scenario questions that run through my mind concerning the violence exhibited by these people sometimes.
Well, as a young journalist visiting the Effutu Municipal Assembly my beat area a few months ago, I experienced a traumatic moment when I was attacked by a mentally challenged woman at the main entrance of the Assembly.
That being my first encounter, I was greatly terrified as I tried to dodge many of the stick attacks while screaming for help. Help did come, and the woman was chased away, but the trauma I went through, rather stayed with me.
My rescuer, an NSS person at the Effutu Municipal Assembly, also shared with me the physical assault she and her colleagues at the Assembly had received from the ‘mentally challenged’ woman. Thankfully my encounter subtly prompted management to ‘drive away’ the woman from the entrance of the Assembly.
This scenario resonates deeply with a similar incident about 2years ago in Accra, when a ‘mentally challenged’ person murdered an unsuspecting Okada driver in cold blood on a sunny day.
For clarity, it’s imperative to point out that this issue is multifaceted, where the ‘mentally challenged’ people also face similar abuse from the supposed ‘normal’ humans by being victims of rape, rituals, assault, and murder, among others.
But that does not necessarily excuse the fact that, in cases where humans face prosecution when caught in any unlawful act against these people, seemingly, nothing happens to the ‘mentally challenged’, when their actions also contradict the dictates of the law or cause harm to the citizenry.
Now, as we explore the complex and often troubling intersection of mental health Challenges and bullying, it is clear that a double-edged sword approach is needed. We can create a more empathetic, understanding, and supportive environment for all by acknowledging the nuances of these societal issues.
Notably, “we’re all part of a larger whole, connected by our humanity and strengthened by our diversity,” so let’s prioritize mental health, challenge bullying behaviors, and foster a culture that values inclusivity and the well-being of every individual.
By Rita Fordjour, level 300, UEW
