President of the Ghana National Psychological Association, Dr. Collins Agyeman-Badu, says the COVID-19 pandemic and unemployment have led to increased stress and anxiety among workers due to job insecurity and changes in work environments, causing the youth to feel hopeless.
Dr. Collins also pointed out the rise in political stress and election anxiety, as individuals grapple with uncertainties surrounding governance and electoral processes, affects their mental health.
He said this at the Launch of the 2024 Psychology Week celebration in Acra, calling for a comprehensive mental health support and effective crisis management strategies to address these challenges.
“Now, a lot of youth are giving to behavioral addiction, abuse and misuse of the internet, betting everywhere, students are using their fees, they are using their hostel fees to bet. And unfortunately, if it doesn’t go their way, from a clinical practitioner’s perspective, a lot are burning out. A lot are even becoming suicidal simply because it didn’t go their way. And I think behavioral addiction is something that we need to prioritise.”
“It is seriously affecting our youth. And if we don’t take care, that becomes a ticking time bomb as far as their behavior going forward may be concerned. And then we also spoke about the anxiety that characterizes the period in which we are in. Among other things, we are interested in ensuring that the holistic well-being and health of every Ghanian is optimal,” he said.
The Planning Committee Chairperson of the Ghana Psychological Association, Dr. May Cullen Wulff-Caeser, emphasised the need for mental health awareness as individuals choose to compromise on issues related to their mental health as a result of stigmatisation.
“It’s been our goal to make psychology relevant to the Ghanaian community. This year’s theme is about sustainable development in the post-COVID era. So, we’re looking at the impact of COVID, we’re looking at things that have happened because of COVID, such as the use of social media by the youth and how it’s impacting their mental health.”
“We’re also looking at employee well-being, workplace mental health, especially for the security services, the prisons, the police, the fire service. So, we’re engaging in a week-long campaign that is going to create more awareness of psychology and how psychology can benefit the ordinary Ghanaian,” she said.
The event themed: “The Mental Health State of Ghana”: A Push or Pull of Sustainable for Development, is to create awareness about psychology’s contribution to the nation’s development, expand access to psychological services, help fight the stigma and discrimination against mental health.
The activities for the week-long celebration include meetings with the Police and the Fire service officers as well as a visit to Labone SHS. They will also have their AGM and biennial conference at the University of Ghana. It will be climaxed with sporting events on Saturday, the 28th of September, 2024.
BY: Mabel Esinam Awagah and Jacqueline Emefa Ampo