Afrigather Accra, Ghana – When Cynthia Adjei* had an episode of an acute psychological well being situation in her junior highschool in 2021, she was greeted with derision. This led to a deep despair that threatened her future training as she couldn’t bear to face her fellow pupils.
“I by no means wished to return to high school as a result of I felt that everybody was observing me and making feedback as I handed by,” the now 18-year-old teen recollects. “All I may think about was individuals speaking about me, and laughing.”
It took weeks of psychological well being and psychosocial assist from Abraham Owusu, a instructor within the Berekum Municipality in Ghana, to assist get Adjei to a degree the place she would even think about the potential of returning to her research.
“Once I intervened, it was powerful firstly. She didn’t wish to open up and wouldn’t even think about going again to high school,” says Owusu. “I stepped in to supply counselling for her and her mother and father, making every day visits to their house earlier than I began seeing the beginnings of a breakthrough.”
In 2022, Owusu was one among 394 lecturers and different professionals who benefited from psychological well being and psychosocial assist coaching from the Ghana Well being Service, with help from the World Well being Group (WHO) and the UK Division of Well being and Social Care.
“The psychological well being and supportive communication expertise I realized empowered me to higher perceive and reply to the wants of kids,” Owusu explains.
The intervention was geared toward equipping the professionals with the abilities to establish psychological well being challenges and to have the ability to present primary psychological well being and psychosocial assist.
“This collaboration with WHO displays our shared ambition to decentralize psychological well being care to make sure that these providers and assist can be found to all,” says Dr Amma Boadu, Deputy Director for Psychological Well being on the Ghana Well being Service.
Globally, it’s estimated that 14% of 10 to 19-year-olds expertise psychological well being challenges, with many going unrecognized and so untreated.
Ghana, with assist from WHO and different companions, carried out the World College-based Pupil Well being Survey carried out in Sekondi-Takoradi in 2022. Funded by the Botnar Basis, it revealed important psychological well being challenges amongst adolescents, with 1 / 4 of the scholars surveyed reporting that they’d tried suicide.
“It’s our hope that with this capability, extra lecturers like Mr Owusu will assist us flip across the disturbing development of psychological well being challenges amongst younger individuals,” notes Dr Francis Kasolo, WHO Consultant to Ghana.
Owusu has additionally shared his new data with 412 lecturers and 77 different stakeholders to broaden the assist base for youngsters in want within the Berekum Municipality.
Right this moment, Adjei has efficiently accomplished junior highschool and is pursuing her dream of learning arts in one among Ghana’s finest senior excessive faculties.
“I’m so grateful that Mr Owusu was round to assist me get by way of that very tough time, which may in any other case have destroyed my life,” she says.
* Title has been modified to guard her id.
