Abstract

BackgroundPrevalence among adolescents with mental disorders are about 20% worldwide. In 2012, Ghana enacted the Mental Health Act, Act 846 to regulate mental health care, but did not include specific programmatic details of service provision nor any measurable indicators for adolescent mental health. Currently no service programmes focused on adolescents and no aggregated data exists documenting prevalence of mental and neurological disorders among adolescents. In the Brong Ahafo region, mental health providers carry out simultaneous programmes to diagnose, treat, and counsel patients. There is a need to investigate how these service programmes are currently functioning as measured by World Health Organisation guidelines. This study therefore, investigated quality of service provision for adolescents with mental disorders in Kintampo North and South districts of central Ghana.MethodsMixed method approach of quantitative and qualitative data collection, organization, and analysis was implored. Quantitative method data collection used case registers to identify mental and neurological disorders among adolescents. Qualitative methods used in-depth interviews of service providers, primary caregivers, and users of healthcare on the services available to treat mental and neurological disorders among adolescents. A combination of quality standards tools was used to assess services.ResultsEpilepsy was the most common treated disorder among adolescents receiving services at the four facilities in the two districts. Providers and stakeholders had limited or no training in adolescent mental health. Validated diagnostic tools were not being used to rule out differential diagnosis; medication procurement was a challenge to consistent treatment. Data collection and analysis was not standardized. Providers, stakeholders, patients, and their primary caregivers reported challenges with funding, transportation logistics, and stigma against people with mental and neurological disorders.ConclusionThere are few mental health service providers for people living with mental disorders in the two Kintampo districts, with no specific services for adolescents. The Mental Health Act 846 of 2012 is an important milestone in mental health care but there are not specific plans for its implementation. Community sensitization, education in mental health and neurological disorders, and advocacy against stigma are all successful programmes that have the potential to be scaled up.

Highlights

  • Prevalence among adolescents with mental disorders are about 20% worldwide

  • Aim of current study This analysis aimed to investigate the current state of service provision for adolescents with mental and neurological disorders in the Kintampo North and South Districts within the middle belt of Ghana

  • It is estimated that adolescents constitute about 24.4% of the entire population covered by the Kintampo Health and Demographic Surveillance System (KHDSS, Report 2015)

Read more

Summary

Introduction

Prevalence among adolescents with mental disorders are about 20% worldwide. In 2012, Ghana enacted the Mental Health Act, Act 846 to regulate mental health care, but did not include specific programmatic details of service provision nor any measurable indicators for adolescent mental health. No service pro‐ grammes focused on adolescents and no aggregated data exists documenting prevalence of mental and neurologi‐ cal disorders among adolescents. There is a need to investigate how these service programmes are currently functioning as measured by World Health Organisation guidelines. This study investigated quality of service provision for adolescents with mental disorders in Kintampo North and South districts of central Ghana. World Health Organization (WHO) data estimates that worldwide, more than 450 million people are suffering from mental and neurological disorders. Mental disorders can coexist with epilepsy and side effects of antiepileptic drugs (AED) can increase risk for depression [6]

Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call