<strong>Ozean</strong> Journal of Social Sciences 2(3), 2009<strong>Ozean</strong> Journal of Social Sciences 2(3), 2009ISSN 1943-2577© 2009 <strong>Ozean</strong> PublicationA Survey Study on the Stigmatization of the Mentally-ill: The case ofHA Leqele, Lesotho, Southern AfricaMahlalele, S. M. & Osiki, J. O. Ph.DNational University of Lesotho,Dept. of Theology & Religious Studies,P.O. Roma 180, Lesotho, Southern AfricaE-mail address for correspondence: jonathanosiki@yahoo.co.uk____________________________________________________________________________________________________Abstract : The study examined the different ways that the mentally-ill are stigmatised in Lesotho. The study also attempts tofind out the factors responsible for such stigmatisation as well as the various supports available for the victims. The simplerandom sampling technique was utilised in picking 137 participants from the population. The participants’ age range wasbetween 18 and 64 while Mean age was 36.7(SD=14.8). The Stigma to Mentally-ill Opinionate Scale (SMOS) was theresearch instrument used in the study while the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at the 0.05 alpha level was the majorstatistical method employed. The findings which were statistically significant indicated overall, that the participantsperceived the stigma to the mentally-ill differentially. The results showed that, irrespective of the religious affiliation[F(5,131)=0.035;P
The experience of the patients is that discriminatory attitudes are widespread within the general public, the medicalprofession, employers, banks, insurance companies, media and many other organisations (BBC News: 2000). The generalpublic where mentally ill people have worked, employers of the patients, banks, insurance companies and many otherorganisations that mental patients once were, when they have recovered they do not accept them because of the belief thatmental illness is highly really incurable. Therefore, their decisions are undermined in the work setting, within their familiesand communities.The government of Lesotho created the Mental Observation and Treatment Units (M.O.T.U.) in every government hospital asa forum for the decentralization of mental health services and controlling high influx rate at caring centres at that time. Thepurse of decentralization was a way of integrating mental illness in the general health as a way of combating the stigma thatwas highly prevailing at the time. Bockoven (1963) says as mental hospitals multiplied severe money and staffing shortagesdeveloped, recovery rate declined and overcrowding in the hospitals became major problem thus such conditions made itimpossible to provide individual care and genuine concern. Hence in Lesotho mental patients are seen all over in the publicplaces without proper care.Most of the residents in poor supervised or unsupervised settings survive on government disability payments (Torrey, 2001)and many spend their days wandering through neighbourhood streets, thus “dumped’ in the community, just as they wereonce “warehoused” in the institutions. Comer (2004) and as cited in (Gilligan 2001; Torrey, 2001) submitted that a greatnumber of people with schizophrenia have become homeless. In the United States for instance, between 250,000 and 550,000homeless people in the United States, an approximate number (i.e one-third) has a severe mental disorder, commonlyschizophrenia (Torrey, 2001). Many such persons have been released from hospitals. Others are young adults who were neverhospitalised in the first place. Another 135,000 or more people with severe mental disorders end up in prisons because theirdisorders have led them to break the law.Statement of the ProblemIn Lesotho, the national health policies are influenced by the situation regarding the health status of the population and thehealth geo-political situation. In fact all factors which ultimately have an impact on the health status of Basotho or adverselyaffect the delivery of health care or the implementation of health programmes contributes to poor health care in Lesotho.Mohlomi hospital and Mohale’s hoek Detention Centre were the only places catering for mentally ill patients/clients. As timepast, the government of Lesotho (GOL) decentralised mental services by establishing what is known as Mental Observationand Treatment Units (M.O.T.U.) in every government hospital in the country. The aim of decentralising mental services wasto promote the integration of mental health services into general health system, thus combating discrimination of mentalillness and its victims.However, in the decentralisation of mental health services, there is not much solution as mental patients are seen all over inthe public places without proper care. In most cases, the mental patients are untidy but they are within their relatives. There isalso a discriminatory attitude towards mental patients during service delivery. The relatives, community and government ofLesotho seem not to care much. The least priority is given on mental health services; instead the blame is place on the mentalhealth patients’ professions. As a result, it is apparent that the type of stigma attached to mental illness and its victimsbecomes on obstacle to proper care and service of mental patients. In consequence therefore, the present study was muted toexplore some of the stigma attached to mental illness as a way of combating it while suggesting the way forward for theimprovement of care towards the mentally ill patients.HypothesesFour hypotheses were generated and tested in the study at the 0.05 alpha levels.1. Gender of respondents will not significantly affect the perception of the stigma attached to theMentally ill at Ha Leqele.2. Respondents’ educational status will not significantly affect their perception of the sigma attached at the mentally ill atHa Leqele.3. Religious affiliations of respondents will not significantly affect the perception of the stigma attached of the mentally ill.4. Respondents’ perception (i.e. knowledge, identification, treatment and support will no significantly differ when thenotion of their stigmatisation is considered.174
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