Source: newsthemegh.com
According to Ghana’s Mental Health Authority (MHA), youth alcohol and psychoactive substance usage is a major contributing factor to the country’s rising trend of mental health issues.
According to a new report from MHA, there were 3,765 cases of alcohol-related mental disorders in 2023, and 5,554 more cases were linked to the use of other psychoactive substances.
The District Health Information Management System (DHIMS) revealed in a report released on Wednesday, June 26 to commemorate this year’s International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking that there has been a steady increase in mental health cases, with 4,155 in 2019 and 5,554 in 2023 being the most affected age range.
DHIMS also showed that drug misuse is causing mental health problems in children as young as 10 to 14 years old.
“Data from the District Health Information Management System (DHIMS) has consistently captured mental disorders due to alcohol and other psychoactive disorders among the top ten (10) causes of mental health outpatient (OPD) attendance.
“In 2023, a total of 3,765 cases of mental disorders due to alcohol use were attended to, and 5,554 cases with respect to other psychoactive substance use.
“The 5-year trend of mental disorders due to psychoactive substance use has shown a steady rise in the number of cases from 4,155 in 2019 to 5,554 cases in 2023, with the age range most affected being 20–34 years. It must be noted that children as young as 10–14 years are also presenting with conditions stemming from drug use.”
“As we commemorate this year’s International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, it is crucial to reflect on the progress made and to recognize the work that remains to be done to strengthen prevention efforts including expanding public education campaigns, enhancing school-based intervention”.
The mental health authority raised the alarm about the growing abuse of alcohol and drugs and stated that the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking this year’s theme, “Evidence is clear: Invest in prevention,” reaffirms the authority’s commitment to addressing the problems and consequences of drug abuse in the nation, which has become a trend.
The authority stated that in order to stop the trend from getting worse, it has teamed up with interested parties to address the problem through publications, policy advocacy, and education, stressing the importance of increasing funding for evidence-based interventions and prevention.