North West Region : Mental Health Cases On A Rise

As the socio-political crisis rocking the North West since 2016 persists, the number of persons suffering from mental health keeps increasing.  According to a study carried out by Patricia Ngum recently, mental health cases haven risen to about 90% in the North West Region. The phenomenon, she narrated, is caused by a series of factors ranging from gunshots, killings, economic hardship, kidnappings, poor stress management, prolonged illness and a lot more.
This often leads to depression, anxiety and of course suicide. She said most people living in the North West are suffering silently as it often starts from within before manifesting physically. She noted that many more mad persons are found in the streets and little or nothing is been done to remedy the situation.
 It is against this backdrop that Patricia Ngum who runs the Redemption Centre for Persons in Distress (RECEPEDIS), a mental health home in Nsongwa Bamenda II, took a challenge to acquire and get more knowledge through a thesis that she defended last week in the International University Bamenda affiliated to the University of Douala. She has dared to look for the real cause of deaths in the city especially during this period of armed conflict. So far, she has highlighted the causes and consequences of such a situation to especially the working class in the city of Bamenda. Patricia noted that mental issues have affected most workers hence having an adverse effect on output especially as a mentally unstable and sick person has all seven aspects of wellness affected. Their social, intellectual, physical, emotional, spiritual, occupational and environmental wellbeing are all affected. In most institutions, there is no health policy for workers and in others very littl...