Mental health is an integral part of our overall well-being and quality of life. It affects how we think, feel, and behave, and it influences our ability to cope with stress, relate to others, and make meaningful contributions to society.
Despite the importance of mental health, there is still a significant stigma associated with mental illness that prevents many people from seeking help or even talking about their struggles.
These mental health disorders often go untreated, leading to a range of negative outcomes such as reduced productivity, relationship difficulties, and even suicide.
In the past one month, Ghana has recorded several cases related to mental health, including headlines such as, “Man Commits Suicide,” “Woman Kills Children and Commits Suicide,” “Man Kills Girlfriend and Hides Body in Freezer,” “Married Cop Kills Side Chick, ”Senior Cop Shoots Junior Cop,” “Man Stabs Woman,” “Woman Stabs Man,” “Man Stabs Man.”
It is on the back of this that, Tuesday’s edition of Joy FM’s Super Morning Show focused on mental health.
A Psychiatrist from the Pantang Hospital, Dr. Nana Dansoah Nuamah, and another Psychiatrist from the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, Dr. E.A. Azusong highlighted the signs that suggest that one may need mental support.
Dr Dansoah Nuamah indicated that sleep irregularity is one of the ways to detect stress. She indicated that one’s sleep pattern may suddenly change.
“Sometimes you struggle to initiate sleep and you keep waking up multiple times in the night and it is not just to use the bathroom, you just wake up and you struggle to go back to sleep. Another part is when you wake up too early, more than two hours from your usual routine and this continues for a number of days. So it is not just a one-off occurrence that means you have a mental health problem but then, there is that persistence.”
Another indicator is how your appetite for food changes.
“You’ll notice that all of a sudden you are eating way more than you usually would, trying to cope with that stress. But for most people, it is just a loss of appetite. So you’ll notice that you’ll not even feel for the things that you used to enjoy. Your favourite waakye and fufu will just taste bland in your mouth.”
Your energy levels
You’ll realise that you’re just feeling down and you are emotionally drained and just exhausted. You woke up in the morning and you’re just exhausted. Getting out of bed is like a chore, you are literally dragging yourself out of bed.
You realise that you have a problem concentrating. If your work is reading, you’ll realise that you’ve been reading the same line for 10 minutes and you still can’t make much sense out of it. And you’ll start making little mistakes
How we respond in our emotions. When you are stressed, things that typically won’t make you upset that quickly, all of a sudden, you’re just blowing off.
You know yourself, this is who I am. Your partner knows you. Your friends know you. They know how you behave. Sometimes they even know how you think. Has there been a change in that? And that question goes to you, your immediate family, and your friends. If there has been a change, then it means that you need help.
Dr Dansoah Nuamah further stated that the symptoms may be subtle in the beginning, however, it progressively worsens when it remains untreated.
On the same show, a listener called in to share his current battles with mental health.
According to him, since he lost his mother in 2022, followed by the collapse of his business, he has not been the same. He revealed how he has withdrawn from his social circles and is presently contemplating suicide.
Dr. Azusong who responded to the caller described his predicament as an emergency while commending him for taking the bold step to speak about it.
The health specialists were to link up with him immediately to help him manage the challenges.
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