Mental Health of Man in Africa

In: African affairs: the journal of the Royal African Society, Band 80, Heft 319, S. 277-288

Abstract

An address given to the Royal African Society in London in 1980. African societies are characterized as suffering the effects of modernization, including social & personal insecurity, the disappearance of traditional authority & culture, the disruption of traditional belief systems, & the erosion of family stability. These problems are universally experienced, but in Africa, the opposition between traditional & modern cultures is intensified due to the relatively recent process of development. Mental health in Africa reflects the disrupting effects of industrial & social change; various studies testify to the heightened sense of insecurity & alienation found among workers & others trying to adapt to change, especially in Ur contexts. In Africa, this social isolation has contributed to mental illness, already exacerbated by poverty & disease. Ironically, improvement in medical care has contributed to the growth of mental illness by reducing mortality. Programs for economic development & better health care, eg, as articulated in UN policy, must recognize & preserve African cultural values. D. Dunseath.