Psycho-film system launched
A system to enhance the prevention and cure for mental disorders using modern audio-visual interventions has been launched in Accra on Monday.
The system titled “Psycho-film system” and dubbed “psychofis” was to remove or reduce the stigma associated with mental disorders and the specialists who prevent or cure the illness.
The system that has two main approaches to the prevention and cure of mental illness includes psycho-film pre-emption and psycho-film therapy.
The psycho-film pre-emption is a preventive aspect that has become known as mental inoculation using audio-visuals while the psycho-film therapy which is a curative aspect uses audio-visual to help mentally disturbed people to recover or modify their behavior.
Mr Baba Jamal, a deputy Minister of Information, who launched the system, commended the initiative and said the innovation needed to be supported to shape the minds of mentally retarded persons.
He said the media had over the years concentrated on political issues neglecting other matters relevant to national development.
Mr Jamal called on the media practitioners to promote more awareness and development in all aspects of the economy.
He said the Government would collaborate with the developers of the system to see how best it could be beneficial to the whole nation, and added that the Government was committed to improving the situation of inmates at the various psychiatric centers across the country.
Dr Akwasi Osei, Chief Psychiatrist at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, said audio-visuals had a role to play in mental health delivery, especially in a situation where there were inadequate experts in the field.
He said using the film would also add to other methods in the prevention and cure of mentally disorders and expressed the hope that film would be effective because of its mass media appeal.
Dr Osei said mental health was not only a preserve for psychiatrist by the whole country including music therapist, and social welfare officers.
Mr Ben Imoro, Executive Director of Media in Partnership Development, providers of the system, expressed the hope that the technological intervention would help promote mental health.
“With the limited number of experts in the field of psychiatric and clinical psychology, this system seeks to expand the scope of the practitioners thereby making the service available to a greater number of people at a reasonable cost,” he noted.
Mr Imoro announced that there would be an establishment of mind care centers to support the work of psychiatrists and to improve the environment and remuneration of mental health workers.
He said “Under the Psychofis, there will be an innovative weekly Television programme called “Matters of the Mind” to educate the public on mental issues,” he said.
Mr Imoro appealed to corporate institutions, especially the media in the health sector to support the initiative to improve on the mental health situation in the country.
A 30-minutes film was shown to demonstrate the use of the psycho-film systems.
Source: GNA