We work with a whole range of groups who provide treatment to mentally ill people.

These people range from government health workers, right down to community volunteers. The training they receive allows these health workers to properly understand mental illnesses, how they can be identified and how they are treated. This process dramatically increases the capacity of community-based mental health treatment available.

In Accra, we have formed forums for mental health professionals to promote discussion and debate about a community-based approach to mental health care. These forums encourage the deinstitutionalisation of patients from the psychiatric hospitals in Accra and develop strong working relationships between specialist psychiatric staff and primary health care workers.

We also work with traditional healers to help them work effectively with mentally ill people.

Traditional healers are often the first point of treatment in rural areas where psychiatrists and facilities are scarce. Whilst the diagnosis are often incorrect, the traditional healers are often very successful in treating mental illnesses that require ‘talking’ therapies, such as depression.

By working with traditional healers we aim to make them more aware about the different types of mental illnesses and when to refer cases to us that they know they are unable to help with. We also hope to make the stay of mentally ill people more comfortable whilst they live with the traditional healers when undergoing treatment.

In Ghana we are working with the Traditional Healer’s Association to help achieve these goals. In the last year we have given them modest but vital supplies such as buckets and blankets, to help in their treatment.

Alhaji Hussein, a member of the Traditional Healer's Association, thanked BasicNeeds for these provisions. He remarked that BasicNeeds has distinguished itself from other organisations who are working in the area by fulfilling its promises. Many, including the government, make empty gestures and are never heard from again.

Building the capacity of health systems is important to produce a mental health system owned by the people in the countries and driven forward by them.