The Politics of Mental Health amidst COVID-19 in Ghana

Abstract

Much scholarship has been devoted to the challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to the global economy and the health of people. Little attention has, so far, been given to the threat posed by COVID-19 to mental health, an important aspect of public health. This paper explores the multiplicity of ways the novel coronavirus exacerbates the challenge of mental health in Ghana. The paper argues that a looming COVID-19 induced mental health crisis could undermine the health and wellbeing of the people, hence the need for a timely political response through improved investment in mental health. Elite interviews with frontline stakeholders in mental health in Ghana focused on the extent to which Ghana’s overall response to COVID-19 prioritizes mental health and the implications thereof. Also, content analysis of 22 presidential updates on COVID-19 and other official documents, as well as participant observation, were used, to examine Ghana’s response to the pandemic. Findings suggest that government decisions and responses to COVID-19 were largely driven by science and rational politics. Specifically, the response to the mental health aspect of the pandemic was minimal with a bias mostly towards the clinical management and prevention of the pandemic. The paper concludes that the mental health aspect of the pandemic is critical to the holistic management of COVID-19 and must be prioritized to curtail possible post-COVID-19 mental health implications on the development of the health and wellbeing of the people. Immediate measurable actions by the government to address the medium to the long-term effect of COVID-19 induced mental health cases is, therefore, highly recommended.