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Prioritise mental health issues at workplace

Prof Ohene

Discrimination, inequality, excessive workloads, low job control and job insecurity exposes workers to some risks of developing mental health problems, a Consultant Psychiatrist, Professor Sammy Ohene, has stated.

According to him, mental health issues among workers could also lead to absenteeism and ‘presenteeism’ which affects both the individual and the organisation

He defined ‘presenteeism’ as being present but not fully productive while absenteeism was when one is missing at work.

Prof. Ohene said this at a programme organised by the Department of Psychiatry of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital on the theme: ‘it’s time to prioritise mental health at the workplace.’

According to the Consultant Psychiatrist, high workloads, tight deadlines and long hours can lead to chronic stress and burnout, causing fatigue, irritability, and decreased productivity, adding that work related pressures such as job insecurity, lack of control and workplace conflicts, could trigger or exacerbate anxiety and depression.

Additionally, he noted that strained relationships with colleagues, supervisors or clients can arise from mental conditions, leading to conflicts and a toxic work environment and that employees experiencing mental health conditions may struggle with concentration, decision making and completing tasks efficiently, thereby impacting on their overall performance.

He stated that individuals with mental health conditions were particularly at risk in unhealthy workplaces while those with severe mental disorders were more likely to be excluded from employment, and if they do get employed, they were more likely to experience inequality.

Prof. Ohene also identified being out of work, recent job loss and financial insecurity as risk factors for suicide.

Moreover, he indicated that mental health issues could also manifest physically leading to headaches, stomach aches, muscle tension and other somatic complaints.

“Issues that might affect one’s mental health includes excessive workload, poor pay causing constant pressure, stigma around mental health, unsafe or poor physical working conditions, under-use of skills or being under-skilled for work, understaffing and long, unsocial or inflexible hours,” he added.

Prof. Ohene indicated that in order to prevent work related mental health conditions, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended the implementation of organisational interventions that directly targets working conditions and environments.

He said these were interventions that mitigate, modify or remove risks to mental health such as flexible working arrangements, implementing frameworks to deal with violence and harassment at work.

WHO, he revealed, also recommends training for workers in mental health literacy and awareness to improve knowledge of mental health and reduce stigma against mental health conditions at work.

Also, he called for interventions for individuals to build skills to manage stress and reduce mental health symptoms, including psychosocial interventions and opportunities for leisure-based physical activity.

By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu

News

Committee probing petitions against Chief Justice to begin hearings tomorrow

The Committee set up by President John Dramani Mahama to inquire into three petitions filec against the Chief Justice, Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, will commence hearings tomorrow, Thursday May 15, 2025.

The five-member Committee chaired by Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang of the Supreme Court, was set up by the President in accordance with Article 146(6) of the 1992 constitution and in consultation with the Council of State, following a determination of a prima facie case against the Chief Justice.

The committee will sit three times a week and present their recommendations to the President upon completion of their work.

It would be recalled that President John Dramani Mahama recently suspended Chief Justice following the establishment of a prima facie case in response to three separate petitions seeking her removal from office.

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38-year-old man gets life imprisonment for killing Assemblies of God pastor in 2018

After close to seven years of trial, a seven-member jury on Wednesday, May 14, returned a guilty verdict in the murder case involving the killing of the Senior Pastor of the Central Assemblies of God church at Tema in 2018.

The convict, Francis Nabegmado, a relative of the deceased, inflicted a fatal knife wound on Rev. Dr. David Nabegmado on December 30, 2018, after alleging that the senior pastor was a false preacher who engaged in idol worship and human sacrifices.

After an hour of summing up by the judge, Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh, the jury retired briefly and returned with a unanimous guilty verdict.

Based on the unanimous verdict of the jurors who had previously studied the statements of the five witnesses called by the prosecution, and listened to the summing up process, the judge sentenced the 38-year-old to life imprisonment.

When he was offered an opportunity to comment on the verdict, the convict told the judge that he wanted to go home to meet his family.

“My Lady, I want to see my family, and I want to be taken to Yendi”.

When the judge told him she couldn’t make such an order for him to go and see his family in Yendi, the convict forcefully said, “I insist”.

Francis, who will now spend the rest of his life at the Nsawam medium security prison, had told the court throughout the trial that the decision to attack his uncle, Rev. Nebegmado, was driven by insanity, but that did not save him from receiving a life sentence.

Speaking briefly after the sentencing, Senior Pastor of the Assemblies of God church at Tema Community 4, Rev. Emmanuel Kwesi Ofori, said the church has been waiting for this closure for the past seven years and will soon issue an official statement.

Source: Myjoyonline.com