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‘Economic, relationship crises can trigger mental disorders’
Depressed individuals are at a higher risk of having serious mental disorders if things go worse, Dr. Richard Eghan of Nature’s Green Medical Centre has disclosed.
According to the Medical Practitioner, mental health disorders are more prevalent in our current dispensation due to issues ranging from economic, family, and relationship crises among others.
Dr Eghan said that persons “who have any of the conditions or symptoms of having mental health problems of any form need to seek help or timely psychological, psychiatric or medical intervention from an expert.”
The CEO of Nature’s Green Medical Centre at Taifa in Accra indicated that it was important for individuals living in a sound state of mind to constantly preserve their mental well-being to avoid any form of future mental disorders.
In an interview with The Spectator last week, he said “most mental health disorders are treatable, but required one to seek help if any state of abnormalities begins to show up.”
He cautioned persons living with or in close proximity with people with mental health problems to take safety and precautionary measures in their encounter with such individuals and must treat them in a welcoming way which would not lead to stigmatisation.
The Public Health Scientist said some persons living with serious mental and psychological health disorder could live a normal life in their daily day-to-day life encounter without any evidence or symptoms of abnormalities but could easily cause harm to an individual and treat them with respect to avoid stigmatisation.
“Imagine having a wife, girlfriend, husband or boyfriend who has serious depression or personality disorder whose symptoms could go out of control one day and bring serious harm to your life, yet the person seems normal to you because they have not shown any sign of aggression or violence towards you,” Dr. Eghan said.
He lamented that in Ghana, because much attention was not paid to mental health conditions and victims of mental health disorders, mental health patients may continue to suffer the symptoms of their conditions until they became completely insane.
“The world is sitting on a ‘time bomb’ with mental health problems as the level of mental health issues keep soaring on a daily basis especially during this global COVID-19 pandemic period”, he stressed.
According to a global health statistics, about 792 million people lived with mental health disorder of some kind translating to 10.7 per cent of global population.
Dr. Eghan said those with living anxiety constituted 384 million people, representing 3.8 per cent of the population while depression accounted for 264 million people which is about 3.4 per cent of the population.
He said a data published also estimated that mental disorders are attributable to 14.3 per cent of death worldwide or approximately eight million deaths each year.
Mr. Nicholas Nartey, a mental health advocate who produced an award winning film titled “KORO” underscored the need for recovered mental health patients who have undergone treatment and are living a normal life in society not to be stigmatised.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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Youth urged to take proactive stance on ozone depletion
•Mr Joseph Amankwah, first counting from, some officials from EPA and UNDP in group picture with the student
Mr Joseph Amankwah, the Director of Ozone Layer and Climate Change at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has urged the youth to take a proactive stance on issues related to ozone depletion, emphasising that their future would be most affected by its consequences.
Speaking during a student engagement event at the Ghana Secondary School (GHANASS) in Koforidua, he highlighted the critical role young people played in tackling climate-related challenges.
Mr Amankwah explained that human activities, such as the use of certain chemicals, were significantly contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer and driving climate change.
He said it was important to educate the youth on these issues, encouraging them to share this knowledge with their families to foster a broader understanding and active participation in climate action.
He urged the education sector to integrate lessons on the ozone layer, the causes of its depletion, and its links to climate change into the curriculum.
The event, organised by the EPA in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), was designed to foster environmental awareness and promote a sense of responsibility among young people.
Mr Amankwah noted that ozone layer depletion was affecting everyone, including children, as it alters weather patterns and threatens the natural environment.
He highlighted the need for young people to develop ‘green skills’ to adapt to the challenges of climate change and to understand ways to combat it.
He added that World Ozone Day, observed every September, would focus on youth engagement in environmental issues, to help them understand the long-term consequences of ozone depletion and climate change.
Mr Amankwah also discussed the harmful impact of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), a major chemical contributor to ozone depletion.
He explained that household appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners were common sources of CFC emissions in Ghana.
Many uncertified technicians work on these appliances, often releasing harmful chemicals into the atmosphere due to improper handling, he noted.
To address this, he urged appliance repairers to obtain proper certification and training, emphasising that unqualified repairs not only harm the environment but also endangered public health.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman,
Koforidua
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Small-scale miners schooled on health hazards of mining with mercury
Mr Lovelace Sarpong (right) addressing the participants
Some Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners in the Ashanti and Central regions have been sensitised on the potential health dangers humans are exposed to with the use of mercury in gold processing.
The sensitisation which was organised by PlanetGOLD Ghana project was to raise awareness about the negative impacts on the use of mercury in mining activities.
According to the PlanetGOLD Ghana Project Coordinator, Mr Lovelace Sarpong, the use of mercury in artisanal small-scale mining pose health challenges that affects the nervous, digestive and immune systems, lungs and kidneys; and may be fatal.
Some Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) that benefited from the exercise were Amansie Central, Asante Akim North, Amansie South, Amansie West, Bekwai, and Adansi North in the Ashanti Region, and Upper Denkyira East (Dunkwa-on-Offin) and Upper Denkyira West (Diaso) in the Central Region.
Additionally, he said inorganic salts of mercury were corrosive to the skin, eyes and gastrointestinal tract, and may induce kidney toxicity if ingested.
He stated that the PlanetGOLD Project has conducted several initiatives to raise awareness on reducing mercury exposure among artisanal and small-scale gold mining actors in the country.
It was to promote mercury-free mining practices in line with Ghana’s obligations under the Minamata Convention on Mercury, support the formalisation of the ASGM sector while advocating the adoption of the CRAFT Code and responsible supply chains, and raise awareness on the availability of mercury-free alternatives.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Area Head for Konongo, Mr Dawood Abbas, underscored the importance of government’s environmental regulations and EPA’s role in ensuring compliance within the ASGM sector.
He encouraged miners to prioritise environmental stewardship to gain community trust and secure a Social License to Operate (SLO) and reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to enforce its commitments under the Minamata Convention.
BY Cecilia Lagba Yada
