A STUDY OF SOCIAL STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PEOPLE LIVING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS IN BENUE STATE, NIGERIA

A STUDY OF SOCIAL STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PEOPLE LIVING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS IN BENUE STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

Mental healthcare is not given the desired attention like other illnesses in Nigeria. The existing psychiatric hospitals are only concentrated in the urban areas and laws to protect the rights of people with mental illness against stigma and discrimination are ineffective. There is lack of coordinating mechanism to take care of public education on mental illness. Consequently, people with mental illness and their family members are therefore left to suffer alone. Furthermore, they also have to contend with the symptoms of the disease on one hand and the stereotype and prejudice due to misconception about mental illness on the other. As a result, they internalize public stigma and become devalued members of the society. This study examined public attitude towards mental illness. The study examined the prevalence of internalized stigma against people with mental illness. The study examined the level of discrimination of people living with mental illness by mental healthcare professionals. The study also examined the stigma experienced by family members of people with mental illness and the strategies they use to cope with stigma. The labeling theory of mental illness was adopted as a theoretical frame work for the study. Data were collected in six selected local government areas in the State, Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Federal Medical Center Makurdi and six traditional psychiatric hospitals. A survey questionnaire was administered to 400 members of the public, 468 people living with mental illness, 468 caregivers and 69 mental health care professionals. In-depth Interviews wer e held with people living with mental illness, their family members and mental health care professionals. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 23. The findings revealed that members of the public have negative attitude towards mental illness. This was demonstrated through the unwillingness of members of the public (54.3%) to associate with the mentally ill, to entrust sensitive tasks like babysitting to them (64.6%) and to marry persons who had once suffered from mental illness (58.3%). The study also revealed that 67.9% of the people suffering from mental illness had elevated internalized stigma. People living with mental illness who received traditional health care had elevated stigma scores more than those who attended orthodox (t = 4.404, df = 466, sig. 2 tailed (p) = 000). Nurses and social workers with mean rating of 2.94 and standard deviation of 0.87, 2.94 and standard deviation of 0.97 respectively exhibited more negative attitude. It was also revealed through in-depth interviews with people having mental illness that they took overdose of the drugs from the hospitals to forget about the public stigma they experienced. It was recommended that government and non-governmental organizations should embark on public awareness to educate members of the public about mental illness. It was also recommended that government and non-governmental organizations should undertake psycho educational programs and counseling targeted at people with mental illness receiving traditional psychiatric care. Anti-stigma courses should form an integral part of the training curricular of medical schools. Stigma of mental illness remains a major challenge to the individual with mental illness, their family members and the society at large because it affects productivity. Consequently, concerted effort should be made to end stigmatization and discrimination of mental illness.

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