The Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) of Ghana, Major General Thomas Oppong-Peprah has said that about 1,300 cases of mental health disorders have been recorded within the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) each year since 2021.
Addressing a conference to climax the maiden edition of the Ghana Armed Forces Men’s Mental Health Awareness Week in Accra on Wednesday, Major General Oppong-Peprah disclosed that alcohol use was the highest among the disorders.
He explained that 70 per cent of the cases were male officers and that the data was from a post-COVID-19 statistics recorded from 2021 to 2023.
The Chief of the Defence Staff has therefore directed the Department of Medical Services of to embark on a vigorous drive to reduce mental health cases within the Armed forces.
“In the Ghana Armed Forces, mental health cases have risen since 2017, and by the close of 2019, a total of 614 cases were recorded for both males and females.
“However, post COVID-19 statistics have shown a marked increase with a total average of about 1,300 cases each year from 2021 to 2023, about 70 per cent being males,” the report by Daily Graphic on Thursday quoted Maj. Gen. Oppong-Peprah as saying.
He added that the most worrying indication was that, alcohol use disorder was at the top of the list.
Maj. Gen. Oppong-Peprah also said that mental health was a subject that was hardly discussed within the army even though it remained one of the most devastating conditions of the human race.
According to him, the detrimental impact of the stigma is far-reaching, thus causing many to develop suicidal tendencies.
He observed that the refusal of such officers to seek help sometimes resulted in actual suicide.
The CDS, however, expressed worry that in spite of the high rate of suicide, men had lower reported cases of depression, a condition considered a significant suicidal risk factor.
GIK/APA