Mental illness and stigma: a 10-year review of portrayal through print media in Ghana (2003–2012)

The predictors of treatment pathways to mental health services among consumers in Ghana

“…The minority sub‐groups could face some sociocultural, political, and economic constraints, which translates to limited utilization of mental health services. Generally, most ethnic groups and communities in Ghana ascribe the etiology of mental illness to supernatural causes and spirituality . Going back to the sociocultural factors, perhaps a possible explanation of this disparity in utilization of mental health services lies in the strength of the belief of such minority ethnicities in such supernatural causes of mental illness, which could influence their health‐seeking behavior.…”

“…Recently, several empirical studies have been undertaken on mental health issues in Ghana. The empirical evidence mostly addresses the following: policy implementation gaps; family caregivers’ experiences and burdens; stigmatization; mental health systems weaknesses, including financing, human resources, and supply of medications.…”

“…The stigma and discrimination suggest that mental illness has supernatural and spiritual causality and so works to agitate the people who predominately believe in faith healing. The media who are expected to change public perception of mental illness rather depict it in a negative light . The consumers of mental health services are often neglected, and so become significantly disadvantaged in accessing mental health services from psychiatric facilities.…”

Mental health and the media: From illness to wellbeing

“…The focus on illness is evident in studies that have (a) analysed the depiction of specific disorders such as dementia (e.g., van Gorp & Vercruysse, ), depression (e.g., Bengs, Johansson, Danielsson, Lehti, & Hammarström, ; Cavazos‐Rehg et al, ; Clarke, , ; Moreno et al, , ; Tobin & Lyddy, ; Wang & Liu, ; Yang & Mu, ; Zhang, Jin, Stewart, & Porter, ; Zhang, Jin, & Tan, ), obsessive–compulsive disorder (e.g., Pavelko & Myrick, ), post‐traumatic stress disorder (e.g., Houston, Spialek, & Perreault, ; Salzmann‐Erikson & Hiçdurmaz, ; Wu, ), and schizophrenia (e.g., Boke, Aker, Aker, Sarisoy, & Sahin, ; Chopra & Doody, ; Clement & Foster, ; Magliano, Read, & Marassi, ); (b) examined violent events including homicides, mass shootings, suicides, and forceful encounters with the police involving individuals with specific diagnoses (e.g., Carpiniello, Girau, & Germana Orrú, ; Ion, Pegg, & Moir, ; Kalucy et al, ; Kesic et al, ; McGinty, Webster, Jarlenski, & Barry, ); or (c) explored media messages about “mental illness” often treating the term as synonymous with psychosis and other diagnoses of serious mental illness (e.g., Aragonès, López‐Muntaner, Ceruelo, & Basora, ; Atilola & Olayiwola, ; Bilić & Georgaca, ; Clarke, ; Diefenbach & West, ; Everett, ; Goulden et al, ; McGinty, Kennedy‐Hendricks, Choksy, & Barry, ; Mfoafo‐M'Carthy, Sottie, & Gyan, ; Nawková et al, ; Parrott & Parrott, ; Rasmussen & Ewoldsen, ; Thornicroft et al, ; Whitley & Berry, ).…”

“…A recurrent theme across recent research is that the media are disproportionately likely to associate individuals with mental health problems with dangerousness and violence compared to their statistical risk (e.g., Aragonès et al, ; Bilić & Georgaca, ; Boke et al, ; Clement & Foster, ; Diefenbach & West, ; Dubugras, Evans‐Lacko, & Mari Jde, ; Everett, ; Goulden et al, ; Kesic et al, ; Magliano et al, ; McGinty et al, ; Mfoafo‐M'Carthy et al, ; Nawková et al, ; Parrott & Parrott, ; Thornicroft et al, ; Whitley & Berry, ). This tendency holds across geographies and has manifested in studies from Africa (e.g., Mfoafo‐M'Carthy et al, ), Europe (e.g., Aragonès et al, ; Bilić & Georgaca, ; Boke et al, ; Clement & Foster, ; Everett, ; Goulden et al, ; Magliano et al, ; Nawková et al, ; Thornicroft et al, ), and North America (Diefenbach & West, ; McGinty et al, ; Parrott & Parrott, ; Whitley & Berry, ). Such depictions might sustain existing stigmatising attitudes towards people with mental health difficulties and encourage beliefs that they should be confined and managed rather than integrated in communities.…”