Of a population of over 2 million, Gambia has one mental health facility, with few psychiatrists at her disposal.
The foregone underscore the inadequacies of mental health management suffering in this country. To think that the situation is what it is six years following the stakeholders in the Gambia review of the draft mental health legislation in 2017
Stakeholders representing different interest groups and institutions attended a day’s workshop held on 23 March 2017 to discuss draft zero of the new mental health legislation for the Gambia. This meeting was a joint initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW), which followed months of preparation and mobilization for the engagement of critical stakeholders, including key Government Ministries (Justice, Interior, Health and Education), as well as the civil society groups.
It is worth noting that The Gambia is still using the archaic Lunatics’ Detention Act of 1917 as the main legislative tool for mental health, which does not conform to international human rights standards.
Enactment of the Mental Health Act, makes us wonder if the effort was not all a leap service to the subject.
The fact that there has been improved somewhat in the past years, however, is minuscule calls for measured plaudits nonetheless.
Juxtaposing the strides made so far in medicine vis-a-vis infrastructure with mental health, the latter does not come near the former.
That is the worry especially when mental health challenges like other medical conditions are prevalent and manifesting in varying forms.
The issue of mental health is impacted by a large dose of ignorance in our circumstances. While for some, it is seen as lifestyle conditioned for others, it is superstition-driven. With this kind of mindset prevalent in our societies, the role of psychiatrists in managing mental health requires much more, which is what the state should be providing as essential impetus.
Many people require mental health interventions but because such persons and the community they live in are in denial of such conditions, the subject is left unmanaged.
The one psychiatric facility in the country is inundated with cases and is unable to admit more patients under the circumstances.
There have been many instances of mental challenges leading to patients killing or vice versa and even committing suicide, homicides which are the result of untreated mental challenges.
All said, mental health is real and manifesting in many people in varying forms, post-partum being one of them.
We must, therefore, consider treating mental health as much as we do medical management by providing the relevant authority with the necessary logistics it requires, to function efficiently and sufficiently.