Sociology of Mental Illness: the Study of the Un-institutionalized Mentally Challenged in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Nigeria
husband in a male dominated society? Some people device coping mechanisms, such as the pregnant woman, also carrying a baby on her back with a four- year old child toddling along, who smirks this child each time she catches up with her pace while mumbling to herself. Our view is that if succour does not come on time, she could develop a mental breakdown.
Our trips to some Nigerian markets present some revelations. They are mostly populated by women from different occupations, with different facial expressions – some looking frustrated and for different reasons. Some because the car could not contain what they had purchased while for some others, it could be because they lacked enough money to purchase what they would need for their families and others still for overspending. It is indeed a jungle of wishes fulfilled and dashed and expressions waiting to be manifested and interpreted. Yet some are good managers of whatever problems that may confront them, while some simply flip to the other side and perhaps irredeemably. For example, some students choose to cheat in examinations while some develop phobia each time the examinations are around the corner. In summing up our view, it should be mentioned that we were told stories of some people who were insane but who somehow recovered and returned to the world of the sane without any known medication or organized treatment, after all hope had been lost. A well-celebrated case is that of an “insane” woman, who because she was impregnated by and unknown person, won the sympathy of a church. After a few weeks of spiritual “cleansing” and through divine intervention, she became “sane” again and was reunited with her husband who lived in another town and had reported that she was missing some months earlier. Another case is that of a woman who was undergoing treatment for depression. After several failed attempts, her doctor decided to try an alternative to medication. The diagnosis revealed that the woman was under pressure from having to pay the high fees for her (four) children who were attending private schools. After taking to her doctor’s advice by relocating the children to public schools, the depression subsided. In short, what matters is our ability to manage our individual problems while maintaining expected societal standards. Without a doubt, however, it is the opportunity/access to reinforcement from the people around us that makes the difference.
We wish to re-emphasize here that mental illness (as used today) is a human social construction. This construction is vulnerable to change with time, place, and culture (Szasz, 1961) and it depends, also, on who the actor is, how he is perceived, the available opportunities, and of course, the perception of social definitions and self.
We wish to conclude by saying that even though we appear to ignore them, yet we are aware that they are there and we consciously move out of their way. We are constantly accessing them by their behaviours and on that basis, judge and decide how to treat and react to them. If we adjudge them as peaceful or as not encroaching into our space, we usually mind our business but keep reasonable distance. If adjudged violent, we tolerate them to the extent that they do not threaten our existence otherwise we forcefully remove them from the streets. Usually these people seem to have mastered/retained the survival cues and have imbibed the “live and let live” syndrome. This is definitely neither accidental nor instinctual. In short, they only seem to notice us or intrude into our world when there is felt need and they consider us as their only saviours. For example, rather than take our possession such as food, they beg (usually by wordlessly pointing their open palms at us or by gesticulating – acting like somebody putting food into his mouth) for it; they will drink water from any source and help themselves to some of our unwanted clothes and properties. Some will remove cloth banners and use these to cover themselves, others somehow seem to get fed and clothed sometimes by their relatives, while some others barely survive. Only God knows how they manage for they move around like birds whose behaviours are dictated by instinct. Thus, sometimes we see them and at other times they disappear. Despite all, we allow them to roam our streets. Why do they have to be stigmatized and should be classified as mad and not simply as mentally challenged? For example, we refer to some people as the physically challenged and we try very hard to assist them.
Recommendations
As presented above, these people show patterned ways of behaving and seem to have acquired pieces of our normal behaviours. There seem to be a ray of hope that these people can be assisted to live better and conventional lives. One of such organization, “Concerned People International” founded by Mrs. Jumoke Martins, an Evangelist, General Manager