People with mental illness still await a better treatment

By Helena Selby

The mental disability of an individual is indirect loss of his or her existence in this world as one becomes naïve about his actions and activities concerning his life and the world. Mental illness according to estimates accounts for about 14% of global diseases and in Ghana, World Health Organisation’s (WHO) official figures indicates that about 10% of Ghanaians suffer from mental disorder. The rate of attack rules out the issue of race, culture and religion,that is it affects every individual inconsiderable of ones roots. The rich and poor are not left out, however poor people with mental illness in the developing countries has a higher risk of being deprived of life chances. Victims of such disease in Ghana cannot be left out, considering the country being a developing country, the limited number of psychiatric hospitals and the rate of stigmatization surrounding the disease people with mental illness are indirectly deprived of every basic right in the society.

Mentally disordered

In Ghana and in many part of the world people with mental illness are left alone on the street with relatives note knowing their where about. As if that is not enough people abuse them by throwing stones and other objects at them just to keep them away or to make fun of them. In the case of some mentally ill women, some men take advantage over them by sexually abusing them, even though these mentally disordered people have sex among themselves, it is sad to note that some sane people of the society unduly take advantage over them for some reason only known to them.

The ideology surrounding mental illness in Ghana makes it difficult for people in such situation to find help either from family members or society. The family of a mentally disordered person has the tendency of losing any form of favour from the society as they will be considered bad luck and evil infested family. The young men and women who have reached their prime to get married tend to lose suitors who seek their hands in marriage or accept marriage proposals from such a family. According to many existing tradition in Ghana and across Africa to marry from a family with a trace of mental illness indicate bad luck in one’s marital home or sometimes as it is considered hereditary the possibility of a child inheriting it is there.

In view of this, many families in order not to lose respect or being ridiculed turn to hide the mentally ill person far away from the family and from the society. Many of these mentally ill people live the rest of their lives on the street with no one knowing where they really come from.

Mentally ill and prayer camps

In most cases the mentally disordered individual loses every economic livelihood due to existing condition, as a result family members have to take the responsibility of taking care of every expenses of the individual. As it is expensive to take care of the individual medical bills coupled with feeding the family member in most cases prefer to keep the individual in a prayer camp where there will be no charges or what so ever.

Moreover imagine all the existing psychiatric hospitals located in the southern part of the country, family members have to transport the individual from the northern part of the country to the south by road which takes about 12hours. Some family members who will not want to waste money, time and energy will prefer to live the individual in a prayer camp in the northern part of the country where they reside.

The mentally disordered people are victims of all kinds of abuses even in prayer camps where it is assumed that one can find refuge. May families in order to get rid of the shame and a way of helping prefer to live the mentally in a prayer camp since May families in order to get rid of the shame and a way of helping prefer to live the mentally ill person in a prayer camp since people considers mental illit to be spiritual attack which no medical attention can help them but only prayers. people considers mental illit to be spiritual attack which no medical attention can help them but only prayers.

Treatment of prayer camps

In search of refuge for these almost devastated individuals, family members turn to live them in a den of abuses. According to a research by the commonwealth human rights initiative (CHRI) prayer camps has been a place where the mentally disordered are abused without their knowledge. The research brought to the realization that most of these mentally disordered individuals considered aggressive are chained in rooms for weeks and are denied the right of visitation by any family member. It is believed that, allowing anybody visitation rights makes the inmates vulnerable to further evil spirit attack. According to them all these practices contributes to the expelling of the evil spell cast on the fellow.

Apart from being denied food for weeks as a form of fasting which later on results into stomach ulcer, some inmate a re sometimes striped naked irrespective of the gender, or age to take a “and bathe” at the moment all in the name of casting out evil spirit. According to camps operators, sand bath helps drive the possessive evil spirit away and important in setting inmates from mental sickness.

What is expected of government and society?

In Ghana irrelevant of how mental illness has taken over about 10% of the population government still do not give much attention in making the situation of these people better. Forgetting that they can be useful to the labour force, government still refuse to put its intention toward turning it into reality but always paper work. The long existence of the three psychiatric hospitals has not been increased till date, making medical attention for people with mental illness extremely insufficient. The limited hospitals coupled with bad conditions and laws to protect them make them liable to all kinds of abuse. Government is expected that as plan and laws are made to protect the some section of the population, for instance the enactment of the domestic law and disability law, it as well make it an intention to make the mental bill into a law which will protect people with mental illness. It will be a good thing if government does not only enact this law but as well put it into implementation to prevent it from being dormant like the disability law.

It is about time society make way for education to rule their thought and get rid of beliefs that hinders the basic rights of people. Families of the mentally ill people should discard the notion that mental illness can only be cured in prayer camps so as to prevent victims of such diseases from under going abuse coupled with the trauma they are already into.

The mental health bill

All that these people need is the enactment of the mental health bill into a law. The mental bill is aimed at protecting the right of the mentality ill person. According to a memorandum of the mental health bill the bill has become necessary because the 1972 legislation is out of date and does not accord with the best practice standard for mental health legislation, which is aimed to protect, promote and improve the lives and well being of citizens with mental health.

According to the bill a person with mental disorder is entitled to the fundamental human right and freedom as provided in the constitution. A person with mental disorder is entitled to human and dignified treatment at any time with respect to personal dignity and privacy.

Moreover a person with mental disorder has the right to wear personal clothes whiles in treatment facility and maintain personal belonging subject to space limitations. A person with mental disorder has the right to newspaper information and other media. As the bill has indicated people with mental illness with have the chance to enjoy these right if the mental health bill is enacted into a law.

Conclusion

Even though the bill has not yet passed through parliament to make it a law, society can be of helping hands by giving people with mental illness a chance to enjoy every basic right apportioned to every Ghanaian. The government must quit wasting time of making the dream of these mentally ill people a reality, their situation should deprived them of any national cake as they are also citizens. Who knows, mental illness has no kind of boundary or prevention, everyone is at risk.