The alarming rise in suicide cases in Ghana has reignited discussions about the country’s societal attitudes toward mental health.
Head of the Department of Psychology at the University of Ghana, Prof. Joseph Osafo, has raised deep concerns about how the Ghanaian environment continues to trivialise and downplay issues of mental health, often until it is too late.
In an interview with ABC News GH, he explained that many individuals suffering from depression, anxiety, or psychological distress are dismissed as being weak or unserious, leaving them without adequate support.
This neglect, he stressed, feeds into a broader culture where suicide becomes the tragic end for many who could have been saved with the right interventions.
Prof. Osafo’s observations follow a disturbing report by the Mental Health Authority (MHA), which revealed that suicide-related deaths in the country increased by 40% in 2024.
The Authority’s data showed that Ghana lost 134 lives to suicide last year alone, with 1,174 suicide attempts reported. In just the first half of 2025, there have already been 475 reported attempts, a figure experts fear may climb higher by year-end.
Chief Executive Officer of the MHA, Dr. Eugene Dordoye, has linked the crisis to stressors such as financial hardship, academic pressure, and emotional struggles.
He also cautioned that beyond being a health emergency, the rise in suicide cases poses an economic setback, as most victims are young people who form the productive base of the nation’s workforce.
The situation paints a grim reality where the social stigma attached to mental health prevents open conversations.
Many families, workplaces, and communities fail to provide safe spaces for those struggling mentally, often resorting to spiritual or superstitious explanations. This, experts say, makes individuals less likely to seek professional help.
Prof. Osafo emphasised that until Ghana confronts its dismissive attitude toward mental health, efforts to curb suicide will continue to face obstacles.
The call, therefore, is not only for institutional reform but also for a cultural shift that places mental health at the core of national well-being.
