By Ewoenam Kpodo, GNA
Ho, Nov 04, GNA – A new study at the Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH), has revealed that alcohol use disorders are the leading cause of mental health admissions at the facility, followed by schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder.
The study, titled “Burden of Mental Health Conditions at Ho Teaching Hospital in the Volta Region of Ghana: A Retrospective Analysis of Admitted Cases from 2021 to 2025,” was conducted by Sorengmen Amos Ziema and colleagues from HTH, aimed to raise awareness and inform decision-making by key stakeholders, underscore the growing public health concern of mental health conditions globally and locally.
Mr Ziema who did a poster presentation of the study at the 7th African Epidemiology Society and 1st Ghana Epidemiology Society Conference in Accra, told Ghana News Agency that the research analysed secondary data from the Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS) for all inpatients admitted with Mental Health Conditions (MHCs) between January 2021 and September 2025.
Out of a total of 56,990 inpatients seen at the hospital within the five-year period, 1,047, representing 1.8 per cent were admitted with MHCs. The admissions were 192 in 2021, 236 in 2022, 226 in 2023, 208 in 2024 and 185 from January to September 2025.
The study found that mental health conditions affected more males than females. A total of 628 of the patients, representing 60.0 per cent, were males, while 419, representing 40.0 per cent, were females.
Most of the patients were in their productive years – the mean age was 40 years, with a median of 37 years. Those aged 20 to 49 years accounted for about two-thirds of all cases, with those aged 30-39 years being the highest group at 27.0 per cent, followed by those aged 20-29 years at 23.0 per cent and 40-49 years at 15.3 per cent.
Again, most of the patients, 975 representing 93.1 per cent, were residents of the Volta Region, with few cases from Oti, Eastern and Greater Accra Regions. About 67.6 per cent were insured under the National Health Insurance Scheme while 32.4 per cent were not insured.
The predominant conditions reported were alcohol use disorders, 257 cases (24.6 per cent), schizophrenia, 213 cases (20.3 per cent), and bipolar affective disorder, 174 cases (16.6 per cent).
Others were schizoaffective disorders, 62 cases (5.9 per cent), multiple substance use disorders, 53 cases (5.1 per cent), delirium (non-alcoholic), 50 cases (4.8 per cent), vascular dementia, 41 cases (3.9 per cent), depressive episode, 28 cases (2.7 per cent), cannabis use disorders, 23 cases (2.2 per cent), opioid use disorders, 21 cases (2.0 per cent), and other anxiety disorders, 19 cases (1.8 per cent).
On outcome of admission, 964 patients, representing 92.0 per cent, were discharged, 47, representing 4.5 per cent, died, 26, representing 2.5 per cent, absconded, and 10, representing 1.0 per cent, were referred.
“The focus was on mental health, but some cases had co-morbidities. So, the deaths cannot be attributed to just MHCs alone,” Mr Ziema explained
Mr Ziema and his colleague researchers recommended that health professionals at HTH and other health facilities should continuously sensitise the public on mental health conditions, especially at the community level, advocating for early health-seeking behaviour.
They also urged health professionals at primary healthcare facilities to refer patients with mental health conditions early to tertiary facilities such as HTH for early and appropriate treatment and management.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Ewoenam Kpodo, GNA
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