Adult person's experiences of Mental Health treatment and Care in Ghana

Abstract

There is a growing evidence of the global impact of mental illness among adults and it’s becoming one of the highest contributors to the burden of disease and disability worldwide. It is estimated that 25% of the world's population will suffer from mental and neurological disorders such as schizophrenia, mental retardation, alcohol and drug abuse, dementias, stress-related disorders, and epilepsy during their lifetime. Mental illness hits more human lives and gives rise to a greater waste of human resources than all other forms of disability. This generally does not affect only just a small, isolated segment but the entire society and this is seen to be a huge challenge to global development. The gap between the need for treatment for mental disorders and its provision is wide all over the world, striving for a better understanding of mental illness and providing an affordable and effective treatment is of great importance as it helps improve the lives of people suffering from these disorders in the world.

A qualitative research method was used for this study and it was conducted with patients who are suffering from various mental health disorders. They are patients of Pantang psychiatric hospital in Ghana being the commissioning hospital for this study.Semi-structured interview method was used for the study and the age group of the participants was between 20-50 years of age.

The findings of this study show that most patients are happy and satisfied with the quality of treatment received and will be glad to recommend Pantang Psychiatric hospital to whoever is in need of mental health treatment. However, they wish that they will be involved in their treatment especially with their medication. They also wish that their voices will be listened to and also to have regular social contact with friends and family which they believe will give them comfort and a sense of being loved.