People with Mental Illness Exposed to Harmful Treatments in Healing Centers – Study

A field study of mental health treatment in traditional and religious healing centers in Ghana shows that around 30 percent of people with mental illness who attend these services are exposed to potentially harmful treatments.

It revealed that traditional healers denied their patients food and water, whipped them, deprived them of sleep, and immobilized them with chains and ropes as part of the healing process.

The study was carried out by Basic Needs Ghana, a non-governmental organization, the Ghana Mental Health Society and the Danish Institute Against Torture with funding from the Danish Government.

According to the study, traditional and religious healers reported that these harmful practices were helpful in the recovery process of people with mental illness.

He said that fasting was used to eliminate toxins and evil spirits, while the use of chains and ropes had a calming effect on patients.

Basic Needs Ghana project coordinator Mr. Hannan Legend, who disseminated the findings at a meeting in Accra, said there was an urgent need to increase awareness of trauma and its consequences in local communities and community health workers .

That, he said, was necessary as the role of religious organizations and traditional healers was necessary to provide effective mental health care in Ghana.

He called for collaboration between traditional healers and health centers to ensure the provision of effective health care services to people living with mental illness.

“There are more traditional and faith-based healers than there are mental health professionals. This is because belief systems seem to play a key role in the healing process, as mental illness is believed to have a spiritual cause. So we need collaboration, ”he said.

In Ghana, traditional and religious healers provide consultation for people with mental illness.

They also provide residential facilities for patients commonly known as prayer camps or healing centers.

The program coordinator said that although the Ghana Mental Health Act, Law 846 of 2012, and other legal frameworks prohibited flogging, shackling and chaining of people with mental illness, the practice was still ongoing in some centers. healing from across the country.

Mr. Legend called on the Government to allocate more resources to the Mental Health Authority to promote the inclusion of marginalized people with the disorder.

Mental illnesses, also called mental health disorders, refer to a wide range of mental health conditions that affect a person’s mood, thinking, and behavior.

Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and addictive behaviors.

Many people have mental health problems from time to time, but a mental health problem turns into a mental illness when ongoing signs and symptoms cause frequent stress and affect the ability to function.

The World Health Organization estimates that 13 percent of Ghana’s population suffers from some form of mental health problem, and 2 percent are likely to have a serious mental illness.