Senior medical officer and clinical psychologist, Dr. Isaac Newman Arthur, has urged Ghanaians to eschew the mindset that stress and mental health illnesses are the reserve of rich people.
According to him, contrary to popular belief, poor people are most likely to suffer from mental health issues and stress in comparison to privileged people.
He noted that the only reason it may appear otherwise is that those with wherewithal are more likely to seek help or therapy the instant they feel their mental wellbeing is threatened or strained.
Contributing to a discussion on workplace mental health, Dr. Arthur said Ghanaians should not underestimate the impact stress can have on one’s mental health and urged them to seek help as soon as possible.
“All mental illnesses you’ll find them more in a low socio-economic environment. But you see if someone has money, they’re likely to go and report and seek help. The fact that you don’t report does not mean it’s not there,” he said.
He added that even the current hustle culture is a manifestation of stress as young people engage in various ventures in order to eke out a living.
“Even the term ‘hustle’ is stress. You may not acknowledge that you’re stressed and then one day you’re there and then something happens to you and you’re gone. And then some times we underestimate or downplay the importance of these things on our lives because of our expectations and what we want to achieve.
“So even the term ‘hustle’ is stress. The fact that you don’t acknowledge that this is a stressful scene does not mean that it is not there. As for the internal mechanisms whether you acknowledge it or you don’t acknowledge it, it’s happening,” he said.