Psychiatric patients in modern Ghana and their adaptive various sanctuaries

Abstract

This study aims to firstly find out how patients deal with their mental disorders using the traditional resources without entering into the psychiatric hospital for treatments. What psychiatric problems do they suffer? What are the various pharmaceutical drugs administered by these practitioners? What roles do group support play in the lives of these patients? The method used was the structured and in-depth interviews, which consisted of background information and other relevant themes about their psychiatric related problems. Interviews were given to patients after we have attended their Sunday worships in their localities. Open-ended interviews were also administered to them and arrangements were made to meet them next week in the same worship service to gather them. Overall, 300 informants agreed to participate in the study. Method The results revealed that there have been attacks concerning the manner of treatments, abuse,emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and manipulation which these practitioners utilize in their various churches. Modern psychiatric hospitals where these patients could have gone in the first place to receive treatments are not many. The findings show that different relationship problems exist that male as well as female patients of all age groups undergo. Traditional pharmaceutical drugs were prevalently utilized but most of them were placebo in kind.In conclusion, it can be asserted that the social function of these mental treatments outweighs the abuse in general, which is tremendously circulated and reported by the media. The healing sanctuaries have important social functions, which without them modern mental institutions in Ghana will be over flooded with a tremendous number of unconventional patients. The prolific employment and glorification of Akwankyere, to psychologically speedy up treatment, makes healing methods affordable to all faithful adherents