This Reader is about the changing trends in mental health care and
research in Ghana. The book includes a brief history of the department
and Mental Health Care in Ghana through the eyes of professionals who
have lived this history. There is also a revised situation analysis of
mental health services and legislation from 2005. These are followed by
three main sections on Conceptualization of Mental Illness (depression,
religion and illness, autism, substance use disorders and
schizophrenia), Mental Health Practice in a teaching hospital setting
(referrals to Korle-Bu, how psychiatric illnesses manifest, how people's
lives are affected and what skill sets and resources are available for
dealing with them) and finally the Department's focus on research
includes the Mental Health Information System, Sickle Cell Disease,
Medical Ethics, and Liaison Psychiatry. In the concluding paragraph,
read about the way forward in mental health care and research.