Forty Ghanaian alumni of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) have completed a workshop on the invisible effects of mental health on productivity to assist in building a culture of mental well-being in organisations. The four-day training aimed at empowering the alumni to become mental health advocates and promote positive change in their communities, help to increase awareness, reduce stigma, and encourage early intervention and support for individuals struggling with those health issues. Participants were taken through a wide range of topics covering the understanding of those disorders in Sub-Saharan Africa, risk factors, triggers, and impacts, among other things. Dr Dansoah Nuamah, a specialist psychiatrist, said mental illness was related to bad management practices, limited autonomy, effort-reward imbalance, occupational uncertainty, and a lack of worth and respect in the job, all of which contribute to low workplace productivity. She said mental health was to blame for many broken households, which reduced an individual’s capacity to be more productive and have overall improved well-being. The prevalence of depression and anxiety had emerged as the primary factor contributing to diminished productivity, resulting in a staggering annual economic loss of approximately US$ one trillion worldwide, she said. Additionally, untreated mental health conditions in work environments had been found to impose a financial burden on businesses, amounting to an estimated US$10.9 billion each year. ‘This includes $146 million in compensation claims, $4.7 billion in absenteeism, and $6.1 billion in presenteeism.’ Untreated depression, Dr Nuamah said, costed $9,450 per employee each year in absenteeism and lost of productivity. The World Bank describes mental, neurological, and drug use diseases as ‘the greatest thieves of productive economic life,’ with global expenses of $2.5 – 8.5 trillion. Meanwhile, recent Ghana Priorities in 2020 research found that expenditures in population-level screening and subsequent treatment might generate advantages that outweigh the costs. The results showed that for every one dollar spent on depression, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia therapy over a 10-year period, society would get $7.4, $4.9, and $1.7 in returns, respectively, she said. Clinical depression affects 100 million Africans, including 66 million women, according to experts. The WHO also reports that 13 per cent of Ghana’s population had mental problems, with three per cent being severe, and 10 per cent moderate to mild, while 98 per cent lacked mental health treatment. Mr Frank Edem Adofoli, a counsellor, said some Ghanaian cultural practices may lead to the stigmatisation of mental illness, discrimination, isolation, and violence. ‘Cultural norms and values like respect for elders, collectivism, and fatalism may impact how people express and seek help for mental health issues,’ he said, while witchcraft, curses, and ancestral spirits may affect perception and coping with mental health problems. Participants expressed concern over the disregard for the treatment of illnesses including depression and bipolar disorders, despite their destructive consequences. Participants later visited the Pantang Hospital to gain a firsthand understanding of the state of mental health and to familiarised themselves with the available facilities and the procedures for accessing them.
Source: Ghana News Agency