By Elizabeth Larkwor Baah
Tema, 4, GNA-Some residents of the Tema Metropolis have expressed concerns about the growing number of mentally ill individuals roaming the streets day and night.
They called on authorities to address the situation, as it posed a risk to public safety and order in the metropolis, with some of them displaying aggressive behaviour, including verbal outbursts and physical aggression.
Although many people sympathize with the plight of the mentally ill, they believe their presence on the streets in such numbers required urgent attention.
The residents said the situation had worsened due to inadequate mental health facilities and support systems in the harbour cum industrial city, and suggested that the government invests in community mental health programmes to prevent future cases and address the root causes of mental illness.
In a random survey conducted by the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Madam Cynthia Opoku, a shop owner in Community One, said that the situation was becoming alarming, adding that some of the mentally ill individuals walked into shops uninvited, frightening customers and disrupting business.
“It’s heartbreaking to see them in this condition, but at the same time, we need to feel safe while going about our daily activities,” she stated.
Mr. Emmanuel Adjei, a taxi driver, said the mentally challenged individuals stand in the middle of roads or sit by busy intersections, posing a danger to both pedestrians and motorists.
He added that the presence of mentally ill individuals on the roads made drivers uneasy at night.
Madam Faustina Naa Bortey, a kenkey seller, said some mentally challenged persons begged for food and would not leave until they were given what they wanted, scaring some of her customers.
Madam Getrude Etornam Lumor, Principal Nursing Officer at the Psychiatric Unit, Tema General Hospital, reacting to the issue, noted that some mentally ill individuals on the streets were suffering from Hebephrenic schizophrenia, also known as disorganised schizophrenia.
Madam Lumor explained that the condition was characterised by disorganised thinking, speech, and behaviour, as well as inappropriate or flat emotional responses.
She said individuals with this condition often exhibited erratic movements and unpredictable actions, leading to difficulties in performing daily activities, adding that, although aggression was not a primary symptom, it could occasionally emerge due to specific triggers.
She mentioned that factors that may lead to aggression included delusions, frustration from disorganised thought, difficulty in communicating or being misunderstood, substance abuse, alcohol or drug use, lack of treatment, and stress, among others.
She explained that relating to someone with hebephrenic schizophrenia required patience, empathy, and a thoughtful communication approach to reduce stress and prevent aggressive behaviour.
The Principal Nursing Officer said key strategies to follow in relating with them were creating a calm environment, minimising loud noise and reducing bright lights, communicating clearly and gently, using simple, direct language and short sentences, and a lot more.
Meanwhile, the GNA gathered that there was no mental health shelter in the area for such persons to be kept and catered for, as the only option was to get some minimal care from the psychiatric units in the public health facilities in the metropolis.
GNA