Situational Analysis of Mental Health Challenges in Sierra Leone: Possible Roles of Social Workers

Since the rebel war in Sierra Leone ended in 2002, there has been an extraordinary increase in international non-governmental organizations that aid people. One such area is mental health. However, both the government and NGOs use the medical model for intervening in mental health and mental illness. Therefore, this research was a documentary analysis of the World Health Organization Mental Health Atlas of 2020: Country Profile. The report states that there are no social workers who provide help to people diagnosed with mental illness. So, this research brings to the fore some of the significant roles that clinical and mental health social workers can provide. The research is a move away from the pathological focus on mental health and discusses the sociological and biopsychosocial intervention by social workers.