ReviewBJPsych open2026
'Mental health was always the last; always an afterthought': policy analysis of domestic financing and prioritisation for mental health in Ghana.
Review in BJPsych open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMental health remains a low health priority globally. Despite the high burden of mental health in Ghana, little is known about the extent of financing and prioritisation by policymakers and other relevant stakeholders.
aimsThis study aims to understand the determinants of low domestic public financing and the prioritisation of mental health in Ghana, and to identify opportunities and strategies to increase policy attention.
methodKingdon's multiple streams framework was used to map barriers to domestic financing for mental health. We conducted a document analysis of relevant policies, strategies and articles, and carried out semi-structured interviews with relevant national stakeholders. We analysed interview transcripts deductively following the key domains for the multiple streams framework.
resultsWe found that low public financing for mental health stems from several issues at the level of the 'problem stream': low awareness and misunderstandings in general society, stigma and discrimination, insufficient public funding of the health sector in general, catastrophic healthcare expenditure insufficiently documented, limited political attention to mental health and limited donor interest. There is clear evidence of dynamism on the 'policy solution stream', including development of national laws, policies, strategies and institutions; adoption of international strategies and recommendations; and existence of policy entrepreneurs and windows. The democratic system of Ghana creates opportunities in the 'politics stream', but also raises the issue of continuity across governments.
conclusionsIn Ghana, mental health is not yet sufficiently recognised as a societal issue, which affects demand for services and contributes to the low policy priority and resource allocation by the government. Greater investment is therefore needed to raise public awareness through coalition building, research, campaigns and education activities.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.