Mental Health / Psychosocial Unit
Achievement
- Weekly SOPs (mainly on Mondays) where patients meet with Prof. George Eze (The Psychiatric Consultant).
- During the week, patients are seen in the unit – especially on issues relating to follow-up and psychotherapy
- Home visits Community outreach and sensitization
- One to one talking therapy sessions with patients on the wards and outpatient’s clinic.
- Mediation and advocacy for patients.
- Identify, provide basic support/care and make referral to the unit for professional intervention.
- Collaboration with other partners providing mental health services.
- Participated in the planning and celebration of the World Mental Health day organized by the NCD & MH Directorate.
- Conduct basic mental health training for Health Care Workers and link nurses to build self-resilience.
- Therapeutic Group Sessions for users of harmful and illegal substances (Since July) 2.1. Number of cases seen: There is an average of 40 –50 patients seen on a monthly basis. Key cases seen constituted persons affected by: 3.
- Increased number of patients seeking treatment for mental health disorders with the help of the experience psychiatrist consultant at SOP clinic.
- Increased successful treatment and management of patients with mental health disorders.
- Increased referral cases from doctors and other organizations to the unit and by extension to the Sierra Leone Psychiatric and Teaching Hospital.
- Depression,
- Substance induced Psychosis,
- Organic Schizophrenia,
- Anxiety
- Delusional Disorder
- Bipolar
- Learning Disability
- Mania
- Drug Abuse/Addiction,
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTST),
- Schizophrenia,
- Behavioral Disorder.
- Majority of the patients integrated into their community due to sensitization and psycho-education for family members provided by our team.
- Benefitted from ongoing supervision and support from the Hospital Matrons, Mental Health Coordinator at the NCDs and MH Directorate and Support from the Mental Health Coalition – Sierra Leone.
- Work with the Hospital Management, the NCDs and MH Directorate, the Mental Health Coalition – Sierra Leone with Funding from Project Hope to provide Resilience Building Training for Health Care Workers in Hospitals/Clinics.
- Work with Shalom Rescue Foundation to support vulnerable children in primary schools affected by PSS issues.
- Worked with the MH Coalition and the NCDs and MH Directorate to screen children with Idioms of Distress in 10 schools during the Worlds Mental Health Day with onward referrals made to the Unit.
- Broadened our service around issues of national concerns (Youths affected by harmful substances like KUSH) 4. Challenges
- No means of transportation for community outreaches and to monitor patients cases at community levels
- Top up for coordination and follow up calls to patients and other senior care providers are often out of pocket and this is not sustainable.
- Poor financial status of a greater number of patients and relatives resulting in inability to buy prescribed medication and by extension causes periodic relapse.
- Medication is quite scarce to come by in the hospital.
- Lack of Funding and limited supplies of relevant materials to keep the unit functional
- Collaborating with other mental health development and care providing partners (like the Shalom Rescue Foundation) to provide regular learning sessions (diversional therapy) for children in Ward One (1) as well as ensuring regular training sessions for staff in their various departments.
- Continue with the Resilience Building Training with Health Care Workers in Health Care Facilities in partnership with the Hospital Management, the NCDs and MH Directorate and the MH Coalition – Sierra Leone with Support from Project Hope
- Continued visits to other needed institutions like the schools to provide supportive care.
- Improve in the quality of care provided to patients to enhance better treatment outcomes.
- Increase community outreach to follow up on default patients, monitor and prevent relapse.
- Continue to partner with other mental health partners as well at the Directorate of NCDs and MH
- Maintain service provision for youths affected by harmful substances like KUSH.
- Keep up with health care providers’ resilience building session and in and out-patient service provision.