A Historical Study of Mental Health Practices in Colonial Asante

Phinehas Asiamah; Yakubu Naporo

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajhr.20231102.11

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A Historical Study of Mental Health Practices in Colonial Asante

Phinehas Asiamah, Yakubu Naporo

Published in American Journal of Health Research (Volume 11, Issue 2)

Received: 13 February 2023 Accepted: 7 March 2023 Published: 20 March 2023

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Abstract

This study examines the historical evolution of mental health practices and policies in Asante, Ghana, with a focus on the impact of colonialism on the field of mental health. The study reveals that traditional Asante society had a holistic approach to mental health, which included both scientific and traditional practices. The traditional Asante people believed that the social and physical conditions of an individual have an effect on his mental health and that a well-balanced social environment was crucial for preventing mental illness. The study also examines the mystical connotations and explanations that the traditional Asante society linked to mental illnesses. However, over the colonial era, the definition and explanation for the causation of mental illness changed. There was a gradual change from the supernatural causation of illness to a more scientific explanation of illness within this period. We argue that the colonial government was unprepared for the growing number of mental health cases and care of mental health during this time. This was a result of the difficulties faced by the colonial administration which included inadequate personnel and facilities, and poor cooperation from the indigenous Asante population due to cultural barriers among others. The paper argues further that these challenges experienced by the colonial government are still present today. This study employs a qualitative approach to investigate the diverse mental health policies, actions, and practices from traditional Asante society to the colonial era, as well as the effects of these policies and practices on modern Asante mental health care.

Published in	American Journal of Health Research (Volume 11, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajhr.20231102.11
Page(s)	31-39
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Mental Health, Lunatics, Asante, Colonial Administration

References

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Phinehas Asiamah, Yakubu Naporo. (2023). A Historical Study of Mental Health Practices in Colonial Asante. American Journal of Health Research, 11(2), 31-39. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20231102.11

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Phinehas Asiamah; Yakubu Naporo. A Historical Study of Mental Health Practices in Colonial Asante. Am. J. Health Res. 2023, 11(2), 31-39. doi: 10.11648/j.ajhr.20231102.11

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AMA Style

Phinehas Asiamah, Yakubu Naporo. A Historical Study of Mental Health Practices in Colonial Asante. Am J Health Res. 2023;11(2):31-39. doi: 10.11648/j.ajhr.20231102.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ajhr.20231102.11,
  author = {Phinehas Asiamah and Yakubu Naporo},
  title = {A Historical Study of Mental Health Practices in Colonial Asante},
  journal = {American Journal of Health Research},
  volume = {11},
  number = {2},
  pages = {31-39},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajhr.20231102.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20231102.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajhr.20231102.11},
  abstract = {This study examines the historical evolution of mental health practices and policies in Asante, Ghana, with a focus on the impact of colonialism on the field of mental health. The study reveals that traditional Asante society had a holistic approach to mental health, which included both scientific and traditional practices. The traditional Asante people believed that the social and physical conditions of an individual have an effect on his mental health and that a well-balanced social environment was crucial for preventing mental illness. The study also examines the mystical connotations and explanations that the traditional Asante society linked to mental illnesses. However, over the colonial era, the definition and explanation for the causation of mental illness changed. There was a gradual change from the supernatural causation of illness to a more scientific explanation of illness within this period. We argue that the colonial government was unprepared for the growing number of mental health cases and care of mental health during this time. This was a result of the difficulties faced by the colonial administration which included inadequate personnel and facilities, and poor cooperation from the indigenous Asante population due to cultural barriers among others. The paper argues further that these challenges experienced by the colonial government are still present today. This study employs a qualitative approach to investigate the diverse mental health policies, actions, and practices from traditional Asante society to the colonial era, as well as the effects of these policies and practices on modern Asante mental health care.},
 year = {2023}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - A Historical Study of Mental Health Practices in Colonial Asante
AU  - Phinehas Asiamah
AU  - Yakubu Naporo
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PY  - 2023
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Author Information

Phinehas Asiamah

Department of History, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, United States
Yakubu Naporo

Department of History, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, United States

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APA Style

Phinehas Asiamah, Yakubu Naporo. (2023). A Historical Study of Mental Health Practices in Colonial Asante. American Journal of Health Research, 11(2), 31-39. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20231102.11

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ACS Style

Phinehas Asiamah; Yakubu Naporo. A Historical Study of Mental Health Practices in Colonial Asante. Am. J. Health Res. 2023, 11(2), 31-39. doi: 10.11648/j.ajhr.20231102.11

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AMA Style

Phinehas Asiamah, Yakubu Naporo. A Historical Study of Mental Health Practices in Colonial Asante. Am J Health Res. 2023;11(2):31-39. doi: 10.11648/j.ajhr.20231102.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajhr.20231102.11,
  author = {Phinehas Asiamah and Yakubu Naporo},
  title = {A Historical Study of Mental Health Practices in Colonial Asante},
  journal = {American Journal of Health Research},
  volume = {11},
  number = {2},
  pages = {31-39},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajhr.20231102.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20231102.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajhr.20231102.11},
  abstract = {This study examines the historical evolution of mental health practices and policies in Asante, Ghana, with a focus on the impact of colonialism on the field of mental health. The study reveals that traditional Asante society had a holistic approach to mental health, which included both scientific and traditional practices. The traditional Asante people believed that the social and physical conditions of an individual have an effect on his mental health and that a well-balanced social environment was crucial for preventing mental illness. The study also examines the mystical connotations and explanations that the traditional Asante society linked to mental illnesses. However, over the colonial era, the definition and explanation for the causation of mental illness changed. There was a gradual change from the supernatural causation of illness to a more scientific explanation of illness within this period. We argue that the colonial government was unprepared for the growing number of mental health cases and care of mental health during this time. This was a result of the difficulties faced by the colonial administration which included inadequate personnel and facilities, and poor cooperation from the indigenous Asante population due to cultural barriers among others. The paper argues further that these challenges experienced by the colonial government are still present today. This study employs a qualitative approach to investigate the diverse mental health policies, actions, and practices from traditional Asante society to the colonial era, as well as the effects of these policies and practices on modern Asante mental health care.},
 year = {2023}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - A Historical Study of Mental Health Practices in Colonial Asante
AU  - Phinehas Asiamah
AU  - Yakubu Naporo
Y1  - 2023/03/20
PY  - 2023
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20231102.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajhr.20231102.11
T2  - American Journal of Health Research
JF  - American Journal of Health Research
JO  - American Journal of Health Research
SP  - 31
EP  - 39
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8796
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20231102.11
AB  - This study examines the historical evolution of mental health practices and policies in Asante, Ghana, with a focus on the impact of colonialism on the field of mental health. The study reveals that traditional Asante society had a holistic approach to mental health, which included both scientific and traditional practices. The traditional Asante people believed that the social and physical conditions of an individual have an effect on his mental health and that a well-balanced social environment was crucial for preventing mental illness. The study also examines the mystical connotations and explanations that the traditional Asante society linked to mental illnesses. However, over the colonial era, the definition and explanation for the causation of mental illness changed. There was a gradual change from the supernatural causation of illness to a more scientific explanation of illness within this period. We argue that the colonial government was unprepared for the growing number of mental health cases and care of mental health during this time. This was a result of the difficulties faced by the colonial administration which included inadequate personnel and facilities, and poor cooperation from the indigenous Asante population due to cultural barriers among others. The paper argues further that these challenges experienced by the colonial government are still present today. This study employs a qualitative approach to investigate the diverse mental health policies, actions, and practices from traditional Asante society to the colonial era, as well as the effects of these policies and practices on modern Asante mental health care.
VL  - 11
IS  - 2
ER  -

Copy | Download