Stella Dimoko Korkus.com: Why is Mental Illness Such A Religious And Superstitious Affair?

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Thursday, July 16, 2015

Why is Mental Illness Such A Religious And Superstitious Affair?



I recently read about Osayande Ekhato, the 45-year -old mentally ill man who died in a church during a ‘deliverance’ session. Now, there are two major accounts of his death. His family claims he was stripped, tortured and beaten to death, while the church claims he hit his head on an object during the session. Hopefully, an autopsy will decide. 

My question is; why a church? What happened to a psychiatric hospital?







In a country with an ever growing literacy level, one wonders why mental illness is met with so much ignorance. In an age where we have an array of information at hand, why is mental health still a subject hidden in the dark?  A taboo subject that only a minority shows interest in?

During one of my many journeys to the eastern part of Nigeria as a young girl, I was beyond shock to see a group of miserable-looking men and women chained together at the ankle begging for alms. These people looked starved, desolated and broken. Sores, both old and new covered their bodies, and their heads were as bald as an eagle’s.  When I enquired, I was told that they were inmates of a traditional ‘psychiatric’ home under the care of a powerful dibia and must beg for alms to earn their keep. 


 I still vividly remember one of them – a young woman, perhaps no more than 25. What brought my attention to her, were her eyes – they were sunken and lifeless, it was as if she wasn’t there and I wondered what her story was, how she came to be part of the pitiable lot.

The world over, mental illness has some certain stigma, but in most developed countries they let the professionals handle it. People in these countries freely visit psychiatrists for proper evaluation; even some of the most admired people have been diagnosed with mental illness and live through it each day with the help of their doctors. However, in our society, this must never be heard of. Families prefer to live in denial and call upon pastors, priests and witch-doctors for ‘deliverance’. Neighbors must never hear of it or we’d become laughing stock. Somehow it is better that relatives are labeled ‘possessed’ than be seen as mentally ill. Is mental illness such a formidable stigma?

We set up the stage for further disintegration, and when the illness becomes unmanageable, the victims are locked up or rushed to proper psychiatric facilities, that is if they do not die first at the hands of their ‘healers’ like  Osayande.

I oft wonder what we are doing as a country to put an end to this madness.  Do we not care that people are dying, are being starved, tortured, abused, and made to live in deplorable conditions in the name of ‘deliverance’?  Do we prefer to let this wretched ignorance that has so eaten into our society continue its cancerous feast?  Ignorance, they say, is no excuse- the more enlightened ones, must cast the light and take lead.


Uju Amanambu is the author of A Broken Rose, a new novel shedding light on the stigma associated with mental illness.





46 comments:

  1. Truth is there is a very thin line between religion and mental illness.....

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    1. Ure right, thrs a thin line b/w religion and mental cases, being an Atheist, ure priviledged to see things diffrently, free from dogmatism... I just feel so sorry for religious ppl believing a messiah will sumday come to take them to heaven, and constantly uttering "end time"... Which end time? my dear, wen ure close to dying, that's ur end time... & here's a bitter truth u shld ask urself, why do u belive the God u worship n believe in is the true God, and the muslims, hindus, buddhist, jews etc are all wrong?

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    2. And no proper awareness on mental illness in Nigeria. Hello family !! How re you all doing .
      @Stella kork miguo!!
      Too much to be done In Nigeria ... So much !!! Stay productive , stay positive and stay blessed !!
      ** listening to My heart sings **

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    3. Most families are in denial. Everything negative must be as a result of the witches in the village.

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    4. There's no link btw mental health nd religion is just dat church is free.

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  2. Replies
    1. My landlady has 2 mentally unstable sons...one is docile,doesn't talk,doesn't do anytin ,he just laughs once in a while....the other one is usually normal but d thing comes upon him once in a while n he cld be violent when it happens...bcos of him I av weapons close to my door(one rod from hanger) n my kitchen(vodka bottle) I pray I never have to use dem cos dey'l smash his cranium

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    2. Ah ahn only her!! two mentally unstable sons? Na who she offend? It must run in their family.

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    3. Spot on! Church is cheaper.....in a penny wise, pound foolish way. The other problem is an inadequate number of psychiatrists and mental health professionals in Naija. There should probably be like 4 Yaba lefts in Lagos alone. Maybe if there was enough therapy and therapists available people would be less superstitious when they see mental illnesses are conditions that can be managed. *omojeje*

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    4. Ah ah!Bitchpls why be say na dat kain compound u see to live in d whole town?lol!na wa oo!u are so full of stories dou..
      But criously,there is a thin gap becos most mental issues in africa are spiritually oschestrated,either as a spell to victim or a rebound of d victim's spell.two ways.the remaining 30percent are the ones inherited from one's lineage.,drug abuse and depression.
      So I think that's why pple go spiritual first cos it always turns out the solution even after doses of drugs and therapy in d psychiatric.

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  3. a.k.a EDWIN CHINEDU AZUBUKO said..
    .
    All this preachings and being literate just doesnt apply to Nigerians bcos we are backward and still depend on old methods of solving stuff of this nature... That is why i wish i wasnt born in this country i swear..... But still on still we dey thank God....
    .
    .
    ***CURRENTLY IN JUPITER***

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  4. There is this guy, 25yrs old mentally unstable, anytime i see him i break down.
    I just look at him and wonder what does he have....chai!

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  5. Mental illness is a curse from the forefathers. Check families and see how many people are getting crazy. It is not a sickness.

    it is a curse placed by wicked people to people who have wronged them or to wicked people who are wicked to them.

    So since mental illness is from the pit of hell, they go to the church to send it back to hell fire or the sender.

    How many people have been cured that are in yabaleft? at least i will like to know.

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    1. I am offended by your comment, you are myopic sorry to say. Just like multiple sclerosis, some of these things are hereditary. I am not a medical personnel but sometimes reading books can make you aware of things happening. Haba! We are not in the 50s. Nigeria shouldn't even be your case of reference for an issue like this cos we lack the resources to do the needful.
      Some mental illnesses are self inflicted probably from drug abuse etc
      Read please.

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    2. Are u not one of d inmates of yaba left?

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    3. Smh! Mental illness like most ailments are hereditary. Do some research. There are different types of mental illness and most of them can be managed with drugs. Stop the superstition!

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    4. Love me jeje, another one left behind...

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  6. They really don't care.
    A fallen house is never ashamed of itself. It is the owner who is, hence the shame the family feel and no longer want to be associated with such.

    Also prayers is cheaper than a psychiatric home so go figure

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  7. In Africa anything called craze is attributed to the devil and needs to be treated accordingly.

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    1. Just negodu! See question wey Sterra dey ask us o. When person wey dey close to u run mad, na den u go know weda na spiritual, religious, superstitious or psychological problem. Na only u go answer dis ur question by yasef.

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  8. Nigerians believe in miracles
    First thing that comes to mind,let's take him to church for prayers

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  9. Mental illness is believed to be a curse so the need to get a spiritual cleansing.

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  10. It's only in Nigeria that every bad thing that happens was sent from enemies in the village. Only Nigerians suffer attacks from witches and wizards, marine spirits, spiritual wives and husbands, demonic possessions, ogun, sango, amadioha, orumila and babalawos !
    It's saddening when I hear my patients tell me that they woke up in the morning to find out they were blind and their ailment was sent from the village. I do my best to change their perception and educate them about a lot of diseases with such effects.
    Religion isn't helping matters either. Some pastors discourage orthodox medicine. Even though I can't deny God's healing power, it's important to seek medical attention whilst praying for your miracle. The stigma attached to mental illness is the primary reason why people choose to live in denial. My question is this; if diseases can affect different organs in the body, why do we find it difficult to comprehend that the same could happen to the brain?

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  11. Because it's easier to associate our problems as spiritual than medical. Just as many are unaware that people are born autistic or dyslexic that is how we feel mental illness must be something some unseen person placed on the victims.
    Only in Africa you'd see the one's we call mad roaming our streets, people long forgotten by their families.
    It might not be fully treated but can be managed we just refuse to come to terms with that fact.

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  12. My goodness!! You are the most ignorant person ever. I feel so sad for you!

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  13. THELMA ENEMUWE said...
    Na ignorance dey worry them,besides,they felt osayande was under some winchy winchy influence..
    *faithful BV enemuwe thelma*

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  14. Nigerians are funny. Every negativism in someone is attributed yo one evil spirit or the other hence going to churches for deliverance. Sometimes those churches end up worsening the situation.

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  15. Despite the increasing level of literacy, our society is still highly religious. Illnesses are still ascribable to spiritual forces.

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  16. Well, you won't blame the families of those mentally ill patients. Before you, an outsider can stand on a spot and point accusing fingers, it will be wise to get the history and circumstances surrounding the illness. When you hear the stories of these people, you'll understand that they have reasons to believe that those mental cases were spiritually induced. Not all though, as some are caused by cannabis-dependency, depression, etc but in Nigeria, many of those conditions are spiritual. I recently read a story of someone that was mad for years, and only regained her senses after the demise of the evil-doer behind her condition. Hence I would advise the relatives of such individuals to follow it up both medically and spiritually.

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  17. HMMMM, SME PPLE FEEL ITS SPIRITUAL...TOMJERRYSWIT

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  18. The word of God says He has not given us the spirit of fear but that of love and of a sound mind,so anything other than that is from the Devil. The truth is,so many people open up themselves to mental illness which is also demonic as far as God's word is concerned, thru the kind of music you listen to as well as the kind of movies you watch and books you read. People allow the devil take control of their minds because they don't guard it with diligence. In case you don't know,its the mind that controls the brain not vice versa. The true solution to mental illness is Jesus Christ and his word. Americans and the world will give scientific names like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia etc, all are demonic.

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  19. How many have Yaba left cured? What about psychiatric hospitals, how many have they cured?

    Mental illness can be treated and managed but cannot be cured as scientist said.
    Should they have the right to seek their cure somewhere else...it is left to them.

    Until you put on the shoes of the people whose relatives suffer mental illness, you are in no position to judge.

    Do you know how many Nigerians that cant afford three square meals talk of the money to provide treatment for them. This is where the Govt should step in, subsidize the cost of the treatment of mental health issues or just make it free.

    XOXO MYSTERY

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  20. Our society needs to be educated first about mental illness before we can progress...

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  21. On this subject: I'll say that it is a sad one both medically and for our African society.
    They're are over 100 mental disorders: from the minor behavioural ones that need therapy(like kleptomania) to the major ones that people need to be confined. Many Nigerians suffer from acute depression, bipolar disorder, neurosis and the likes but can manage to relate well and we don't even know. Diagnosis in Nigeria is poor. So many repressed illnesses that later get full blown. When it becomes schizophrenia and other more serious ones, we begin to hurry them to mental homes and churches.

    Church is not the solution 85% of the time. Truly, everyone's sense of reality and mental balance ain't the same(due to hereditary traits) and then people aggravate it with stress, emotional problems, cannabis(weed) and acute alcoholism. Some families have history of psychosis and all, but who will admit? When their uncle has it, they will say he was a big guy in shell before the enemies ruined him, tomorrow, you deal with them, you will find anti social traits(some who beat their wives, some who cheat, some who are pathological liars have mental problem), tomorrow when it is aggravated, they will say it's spiritual. Many mental illnesses are linked and detectable if you follow expert steps. And at an early stage, it can be repressed/ameliorated but when it's too late, it's very difficult, nearly impossible that is why people live the rest of their lives in mental homes(and the atmosphere there can even infect the saner ones). Many mentally ill people (the normal Nigerian one we know) hallucinate and have a huge level of adrenaline. They see things that are not there(or we are not seeing) and think it's a threat and become very violent!

    In all honesty, there is even a thin line between reality and fantasy. The world is strange. Even orthodox medicine have not finished studying the brain and it's complexities. Just yesterday, they used to lobotomise people, so we Africans are still in the great dark. All I'm asking is that our health system be developed for proper diagnosis, early detection and drugs to help these poor souls. Even if it's spiritual, I believe they should be helped medically, in everyday possible.

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    1. 100% agree with you. I know a man that is a pathological liar. When he invents false stories about people and starts to believe his own lies...I wonder if he suffers from a mental illness. He drinks heavily, suffers from mood swings and always seems to forget things. These are the early signs, when it gets compounded people will be shouting work of his village people.

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    2. Classical wernicke_korsakoff's

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  22. Mental illness is in the Bible no be normal sick oh. Those demons that begged to gi into the pigs. There are demons manipulative cast out in correct church not 419 church

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  23. People hide mental illness bcos of the social stigma that comes along with it. Where I come from(Igbo) people avoid marrying into or from families with history of madness. Now I consider my self exposed but for the fact that a cousin of mine(a lawyer) is currently mad, her mother haven died of the same mental illness. Her father was told not to marry her mum cos they have this mental illness but he went ahead and married her out of love.

    Most mental illness is biological and hereditary ie runs in the family. There is a saying that no matter how well a mad person is cured he can't but keep winking, lol. Nigerians believe its an incurable disease and that only Jesus can save such a person. That is where religion comes in.

    Ujazzy

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  24. Dear Poster, make no mistake. Nigerian are backwards and many are illiterates even though they have degrees.
    A Nigerian girl I know claimed she got a first class science degree in a Nigerian university. Do you know this girl could barely pass module one in her masters programme in the UK after taking the exams twice and failing... she was kicked out.

    Depression is also a mental illness. So if mental illness is a 'possession of evil spirit' then 70% of Nigerians are possessed.

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    1. what is your point here?

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    2. 90% u mean. Funny tin is,nigerians believe dey t normal. Including d abnormal ones. Nigerians r depressed. Both rich nd poor. But prayer is always d key. Stress triggers depression too,nd we live a stressful life here.

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  25. Aturu no need to use your id because that name doesn't befit you at all. at least we are together in yaba left. so i go jam you if you cross my lane. stupid lady

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  26. Every disease and ailment is a yoke of darkness cuz it's a seed that God didn't plant in us and we all should run to God first cuz by his stripes, we are healed!
    And by the way, it's not only madness. Even those with HIV who brought it upon themselves run to church hoping and believing. Indeed, faith moves mountains.

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  27. The stigma associated with psychiatric disorder in this part of the world has limited scientific researches into modern solutions. And since nature abhors a vacoom, religious beliefs take over..

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