Media Portrayals of Religion, Prayer Camps and Persons with Mental Illness in Ghana: A Discursive and Narrative Analysis

Abstract In Ghana, the situation of persons with mental illness is precarious. This is due, in part, to the inadequate resources for mental health care. Individuals and families whose relatives suffer from mental illness rely largely on faith-based resources. The media has sought to highlight aspects of the stigmatisation and rejection of the mentally ill. These reportages show the dilapidated conditions under which vulnerable persons are kept in religious institutions. They also highlight serious issues that need attention, but how exactly do they construct mental illness, religion, and Ghanaian society and do they challenge or uphold stigmatising notions about religion and the mentally ill? We use a discursive and narrative approach to unpack the depictions of three reportages and one official documentary about mental illness and religion in Ghana. We argue that stigmatisation prevails in the chosen videos, but the videos also do provide knowledge and understanding, however with varied focus on and insights into religious aspects of mental health care.