Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing

Biography

Biography: Kwarteng Yeboah

Abstract

Concept of mental illness like schizophrenia is increasing and is particularly severe for people living in rural
communities. Ghana adopted a community-based rehabilitation (CBR) for persons with mental illness to address
the problem comprehensively. However, negative attitudes towards the mentally ill, stigmatization and
discrimination constitute a serious barrier to CBR. The objective of the study was to assess societal beliefs and
perceptions about people with schizophrenia, among the adult population in a rural community (Offinso, Obuasi and Nkawie other communities in the Ashanti Region. The study used a mixed method where both qualitative and quantitative techniques
were employed. A sample size was determined using a systematic approach. The respondents held fairly positive
views about the mentally ill, despite a few negative authoritarian surroundingly restrictive attitudes and views.
Though participants appeared to be knowledgeable about the possible physical, social and environmental causes
of mental illness such as accidents and genetic factors, 96% of all participants thought mental illness could be
due to witchcraft/evil spirits, and 60% felt that it could be a consequence of divine punishment. This is an
indication that stigma and discrimination against the mentally ill were still widespread among the respondents.
The widespread belief in supernatural causes is likely to act as a barrier to designing effective anti-stigma
educational programs and as a result frustrating the implementation of CBR. There is a need in the
Ashanti Region and elsewhere to develop strategies to change stigma attached to mental illness at both
the rural and urban community levels. This paper is one of the first to report to be made on attitudinal research on mental illness in the Ashanti Region by selected areas and the places are offinso municipal, Obuasi municipal and Nkawie district and other communities.