Opare-Henaku Annabella, Utsey Shawn O
University of Ghana.
Virginia Commonwealth University.
Transcult Psychiatry. 2017 Aug;54(4):502-522. doi: 10.1177/1363461517708120. Epub 2017 Jun 14.
Mental illness is a culturally laden phenomenon, and different cultures have unique ways of constructing mental illness. In this study, conceptions of mental illness were explored among 30 participants of Akan descent in Ghana through individual and group interviews. Participants demonstrated a wide range of knowledge on mental illness indicating that poor self-care, deficits in social functioning, and disordered behaviors are the cardinal features of mental illness. The data revealed that Akan cultural beliefs influenced notions of etiology of mental illness and care of the mentally ill. While participants recognized the role of multiple factors such as genetics, substance abuse, daily hassles (for example, concerns about basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter), and trauma in the cause of mental illness, the predominant belief was that mental illness is a retributive and/or a spiritual illness. This belief encourages pluralistic health-seeking behaviors: use of hospitals, prayer camps, herbalists, and traditional healers. The implications of these findings for public health education on mental illness, and clinical training and practice are discussed.
精神疾病是一种受文化影响的现象，不同文化对精神疾病有着独特的建构方式。在本研究中，通过个人访谈和小组访谈，对加纳30名阿肯族后裔参与者的精神疾病观念进行了探究。参与者展示了对精神疾病的广泛认知，表明自我照顾不善、社会功能缺陷和行为紊乱是精神疾病的主要特征。数据显示，阿肯族文化信仰影响了精神疾病病因观念和对精神病患者的护理。虽然参与者认识到遗传、药物滥用、日常困扰（例如对食物、衣物和住所等基本需求的担忧）以及创伤等多种因素在精神疾病病因中的作用，但主要观点认为精神疾病是一种惩罚性和/或精神性疾病。这种观念促使人们采取多元化的寻求健康行为：使用医院、祈祷营、草药医生和传统治疗师。本文讨论了这些研究结果对精神疾病公共健康教育以及临床培训与实践的启示。
