Saturday, January 9, 2010

The curious case of Mental Health in Ghana

She cooks them their dinner

They munch with delight

They don’t know it’s their last

For it is laced with poison

After they cross to the other side

She lines up the 5 limp bodies

According to age

Then calls Daddy to come for his clan

She’s clearly cuckoo

Yet in analyzing the situation

The ‘News Team’ calls a cleric!

So, where are the Ghanaian psychiatrists?

6 comments:

  1. hmmm.. U CAN SAY DAT AGEN!!
    I was horrified!!!... and then instead of calling a psychologist or psychiatrist, they go n call a priest (wat happened to all those psych students in Legon. I remember I couldn't even find a chair in class. ohho!).
    But Ghanaians can be silly like dat chale... cos i rmmba wen a dead body was found in a house, sometym back, the cops sed 'it was spiritual'..n one was tryna give directions to some fetish priest..RUBBISH!
    anyhu, this whole mental health business.. its a problem in Ghana. U kno ppl dun even differentiate between diff types of mental disorders, everything is madness chale.. i remember I wrote a paper about it about 2yrs ago, n my professor was cracking up, but its a very serious issue. Plus, i dare say, that more than 70% of ghanaians need to see psychologists for some sort of counseling or sumn, cos ppl have ISSUES!!...but ofcourse, ghanaians dun roll like dat..all issues are discussed within d family right? lmao, yea ryt.

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  2. Why won't they call a priest? Not to say that it is right, but where exactly are the psychologists and the psychiatrists - non-existent, or woefully inadequate, if at all they are there.
    The psychology and psychiatry graduates are all applying to the US and UK for work permits, and so the only ones left are the priests. So why not them?

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  3. She is clearly not in complete senses, but where indeed are the psychiatrists? This is the same in Nigeria. I hear she also committed suicide?

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  4. When did this happen and where have I been?! Are you for real? That's heart breaking!

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  5. Very sad case and great take. I had no idea a news team called a cleric. That definitely says something about the state of mental health treatment in Ghana. I have always been appalled by the use of prayer camps to treat mental health issues since their focus is on mental health as a spiritual ailment and the whole chaining people outside aspect. However, after the recent disturbing undercover expose on the Accra Psychiatric hospital, I'm realising it is a real rock and hard place issue.

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