Perceptions of Family Caregivers About Mental Illness and Mental Healthcare Utilisation at Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital, Ghana

Background Family caregivers play a crucial role in the utilisation of mental healthcare for relatives with mental illness. However, their varied perceptions of mental illness influence treatment‐seeking options. Aims The study explored family caregivers′ perceptions of mental illness and treatment‐seeking behaviours regarding the utilisation of mental healthcare at the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital in the Central Region of Ghana. The social construction theory underpinned the study. Methods Guided by the exploratory design, the study was purposively selected and conducted in‐depth semistructured interviews with 20 family caregivers who had relatives receiving treatment at the facility. Data were analysed thematically using Braun and Clarke′s six‐phase framework, with member checking and peer debriefing employed to enhance trustworthiness. Results The study found that family caregivers largely attributed mental illness to supernatural causes (such as witchcraft and spiritual attacks), social causes (including relationship difficulties, trauma and substance abuse) and biological causes (particularly genetic factors). These perceptions shaped caregivers′ treatment decisions. Family caregivers combined hospital medication with spiritual consultations and traditional herbal treatment to manage the condition of their relatives, which reflects the pluralistic nature of healthcare in Ghana. Treatment pathways included orthodox treatment only, sequential movement from nonbiomedical to biomedical care, simultaneous use of multiple approaches and mixed patterns that combined sequential and concurrent strategies. Conclusion The perceptions that family caregivers at the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital hold about mental illness influence their treatment‐seeking decisions and behaviours. Caregivers′ explanatory models, which encompass supernatural, social and biological understandings, produce pluralistic treatment pathways that may delay, complement or complicate biomedical care. The study contributes to understanding how culturally shaped perceptions influence mental healthcare utilisation in Ghana and highlights the need for interventions that acknowledge and work within caregivers′ existing belief systems whilst fostering collaboration between biomedical and community‐based systems of care.