Accra, Jan. 12, GNA - A clinical psychologist has expressed concern about the high rate at which stress related diseases are reported in hospitals and has called for immediate measures to address the situation.

Dr Samuel Atindanbila, Lecturer at the Department of Psychology of the University of Ghana, Legon, told the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday that 'biopsychosocial' diseases were emerging in many countries including Ghana. He said biopsychosocial diseases are stress related disorders that often lead to anxiety, sleeplessness, sexual problems and depression. Dr Atindanbila attributed the high incidence to the many challenges and setbacks facing countries including the recent increase in food prices, utility bills, fuel prices, global economic meltdown and unemployment among other problems.

He said the symptoms of the biopsychosocial diseases were closely related to other illnesses such that if not properly diagnosed wrong prescriptions could be given to biopsychosocial patients.

"The disease manifests itself in physical symptoms such as sleeplessness, abdominal pains, fatigue, sexual weaknesses and mood swings," he said adding that if a patient received medical attention from a physician and the symptoms persisted, a clinical psychologist needed to be consulted immediately.

Dr Atindanbila called for more clinical psychologists to be deployed in the healthcare delivery system.

As a short-term measure, he called for a more formal salary structure and other financial incentives to motivate more clinical psychologists to stay in the country's health care facilities. He expressed worry that mental health nurses were few in the country and blamed poor salary structure as the main cause of massive exodus of the medical professionals to affluent countries. "Though the University of Ghana trains 15 clinical psychologists every year, the Ministry of Health has not employed most of them. The few whose services are engaged are not even paid," he said. 12 Jan. 2010