Prayer Camps (Feature)

Published last week :)


THE provision of services for people suffering from mental illness in Ghana are extremely insufficient. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 10 per cent of Ghanaians suffer from a form of mental health problem, from depression to more severe illnesses such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s.
According to WHO, the number of  practicing psychiatrists in the country are inadequate  to meet patients demand. The stigma attached to mental illness also prevents victims from seeking the help of medical practitioners.
This leads patients and/or their familes to turn to Church-run camps, known as Prayer Camps.
Many Ghanaians believe mental illness is the result of evil spirits attacking the individual, thereby putting them in grave danger. People willingly take loved ones to the camps with the belief that religion is the only way to ‘cure’ them. The camps are private facilities run by so called prophets and spiritual healers.
A visit to Macedonia Prayer Camp, Accra, raised serious questions about the credibility of prayer camps for the mentally ill and disabled. The Prophet was unable to give the exact number of patients and referred to them as being ‘mad,’ or ‘spiritual.’ He repeatedly dodged questions about treatment, only emphasising that a lot of praying takes place. It appears that the treatment is the same regardless of the illness and no medicine is provided.
Is it estimated by Human Rights Watch (HRW) that there are over 70 of these types of camps in Ghana. People give various reasons for attending prayer camps,  notable among them is the  lack of access to psychiatric care, financial difficulty, social stigmatisation and ignorance of the fact that mental illness is a medical condition requiring medical attention. The stigma attached to mental illness is often transferred to the whole family causing some victims  to be rejected by their families or forced into prayer camps to prevent the family from being associated with the sickness.
 I’ve read news articles describing people suffering from a mental illness as being, ‘deranged,’ ‘crazy,’ ‘unstable,’ and ‘a danger to society.’ I understand that the resources and funding available for the mentally- ill in Ghana cannot be the same as in developed nations. Nonetheless, it is disturbing to hear highly educated Ghanaians refuse to believe that diseases such as depression exist and can be controlled without Western medication and psychiatric care.
There have been reports of inhumane treatment in the camps, ranging from beatings, starvation, verbal abuse and forced ingestion of ‘concoctions’ intended to heal the patients. It has been alleged that patients have been chained to trees and left outside in the blazing sun and/or heavy rainfall and subjected to prolonged forced isolation. Alarmingly, some patients have been physically abused and tortured under the guise of exorcising them of the evil spirits that they believe, or have been told, caused their illness.
A major reason often assigned to the unjust treatment is that some mental patients have the tendency to behave violently; hence to prevent them from causing harm to others .It is therefore considered safe to chain or put them in solitary confinement.
It is also argued that without forcible confinement some of the mentally handicapped could escape from the camps and get missing. Although it is  rational  it is also absurd to claim that chaining a patient  is in his/her best interests and one can only question the true intent of the camps. The Prophet of Macedonia camp admitted he takes GH¢ 20 initial fee from all patients but I am skeptical that this is the only payment required.
As someone who grew up in a Western society, it is very difficult for me to comprehend the reasoning behind these camps when it concerns individuals suffering from a mental illness. The treatment received by many is an encroachment on human rights and it is incredulous that such camps continue to exist.
A lack of education and understanding about mental illness is an issue that needs to be looked at. I do not believe that families willingly subject their loves ones to such abuse, rather they have been instilled with cultural believes that are so deep rooted they can only believe they are doing the right thing. I hope that it is not long before adequate facilities and resources become available for the care and treatment of those suffering from mental illness.
During a visit to The Twelve Apostles Prayer Camp, Accra, the Prophet showed slightly more understanding of his limitations to heal and admitted  that the use of Western Medicine was necessary in some patients’ case. Fortunately his belief in causation did not ultimately prevent him from recommending treatment at a hospital. His treatment includes several types of herbal remedies, given to patients over a period of three days.
Unfortunately, hospital treatment is significantly delayed for both the physically and mentally ill.  If a person suffering does not respond to treatment within five days, the prophet will advise them to go to the hospital.  In the case of a stroke or diabetes, this delay in treatment can likely be detrimental and even life threatening.  Furthermore, it is unlikely that these herbs can cure patients of these serious illnesses.
The transition of prayer camps to mental institutions has sadly taken away the real meaning behind the camps. Research by the  American Psychiatric Association indicates that being made to feel as part of the church community can often help people suffering from depression and that religion and spirituality can be beneficial to people recovering from severe trauma. In those instances, I believe prayer camps are a wonderful way for people to heal and although they can’t replace medical treatment, I do think they offer support at a time when many people need it  most.
The Government is working with the WHO to develop a comprehensive Mental Health Bill which protects the rights of people with mental disorders and promotes mental health care in the community in accordance with international human rights standards. One can only hope this positive step will help create proper care for those with mental illness and help towards destroying the myth that Prayer Camps are a place to cure mental illness.
The Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the Commonwealth Human right Initiative (CHRI) has on several occasions indicated that serious human right violations have been occurring in many of the prayer camps and traditional shrines in the country.