"What do you produce to the government?”: perspectives of psychiatric nurses on the stigmatization of care in Ghana

Mensah, David (2021) "What do you produce to the government?”: perspectives of psychiatric nurses on the stigmatization of care in Ghana. Masters thesis, Northern Arizona University.

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Abstract

Medical anthropologists with interests in mental illness have engaged in various facets of the goals of the Global Mental Health (GMH) in efforts to provide alternative and more culturally based approach in solving mental health issues worldwide. Literature suggests that medical anthropologists engaged in the field of GMH need to engage with institutions and authorities to address the underlying sociocultural, sociopolitical, and socioeconomic factors affecting mental healthcare provision around the world. This study draws from the perspectives of psychiatric nurses from the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital to explore the experiences of Ghanaian psychiatric nurses in the provision of mental healthcare in Ghana. It complements the anthropology of global mental health by focusing on the experiences and perspectives of mental health nurses on mental health, stigma, and care in Ghana. The study uses anthropological perspectives and methods, including semi-structured interviews and conversations, to explore the experiences of mental health nurses. Stigmatization of care is a central theme identified in this research, as the worth of the mentally ill persons being cared for is questioned, leading to minimal attention towards mental healthcare provision in Ghana. Mental healthcare provision attracts stigma that comes with mental illness leading to discrimination and neglect towards its care and treatment. This type of stigma has a strong social structural support and may come from different dimensions, including individuals, communities, social groups, professional bodies, and even governments. The study responds to a gap in mental health research in Ghana: the need to consider the experiences and perspectives of psychiatric care providers in mental healthcare provision and promotion. The study contributes to efforts to improve mental healthcare policymaking and advocacy in Ghana, while contributing to anthropological literature on stigma and care.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	Anthropology; Care; Medical Anthropology; Mental Health; Mental Healthcare; Stigma; Psychiatric care nurses; Ghana;
Subjects:	R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0321 Neuroscience. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
MeSH Subjects:	F Psychiatry and Psychology > F03 Mental Disorders
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of Social and Behavioral Science > Anthropology
Date Deposited:	03 Mar 2022 19:30
Last Modified:	03 Mar 2022 19:30
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/5797

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