Sociology of Mental Illness: the Study of the Un-institutionalized Mentally Challenged in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Nigeria
change! In reply to the vendors claim that he had no change, he said in Yoruba “ma serekere,” meaning – do not play any pranks. He left only after he had collected the correct change. The third encounter with Banda was one in which he was communicating with an unseen person. He was lying flat on the tarred road with his head and hands raised to the air. All attempts to drive past him without disturbing his state of mind failed as he stood to make way for the approaching car, but returned to the earlier position after the car passed him. This shows that regardless of his state of mind, he had internalized the view that cars can injure, maim or kill. Perhaps this is akin to the instinct which all animals exhibit. (This incident is reminiscent of similar cases of people in church as mentioned earlier). Further observations reveal that Banda sometimes dresses neatly and that with regular guidance he could maintain this behaviour. He still talks to himself and does not have friends.
Casa is another man with special characteristics. He is frequent at a particular petrol station near a university campus. He begs for money to feed himself, (but in the earlier days) no matter how desperate he is, he would not accept money from a woman or if told that it belongs to a woman. When it was observed that he only approaches male drivers we asked our female colleague to offer him money which he refused to accept on several occasions. We also observed that claims that the money offered him belonged to a woman elicited polite refusal to accept the money. He usually retorts with, “no, no, no sir I can’t take the money.” Why? “B-b-b-because it belongs to a woman, —- women are evil, they can harm you.” However, recent observations show that he has shifted from his earlier rigidity — he now accepts a woman’s money only if it is given to him by a man. His new reasoning is that since the money was not in the possession of a woman, at this point in time, that it seizes to belong to her and he is thus free to accept it (a new survival mechanism). As shown, Casa maintains good conversation and explains why he would not interact with women. To him, women are bad and spell nothing but evil and as such, should be avoided at all times. Casa discriminates as to his choice of where to beg for money. For example, he will neither approach any table where a woman is seated nor accept money from there. While driving home one day, one of the researchers noticed the insignia on a commercial vehicle, which reads thus, “BEWARE OF WOMEN.” Judging from this, Casa does not seem to be too far removed from the world of the sane. The difference between the driver and Casa lies in the manifestation of the mental challenges confronting them — while one drives, the other roams the streets. At least all parties nurse some fear about the looming socially defined “danger” women pose to humanity. His changed attitude toward receiving money shows that with help he could behave just like the sane.
Talia is a woman who likes to keep her environment clean even though she always looks unkempt. It is not uncommon to see her carrying a basket that she uses to collect the refuse she had personally swept up. We also observed that she always remembers where the basket is kept. Whenever Talia is agitated, particularly when she feels offended by somebody, she tries to make her case known by complaining to people whether they were listening or not. This tirade could go on for hours. It was however observed that sometimes she listens to appeals from people to calm down. She is well- known in the areas she frequents and seems to recognize many of the people. She also sometimes requests to be allowed to assist people, particularly the elderly, to sweep their premises. Talia’s case reminds us of a typical traditional Yoruba husband, his wife and children going to the farm. Usually, during the harvesting period, all except the man carry a basket with which the day’s proceeds would be carried to the village or town for sale.
Sha or “madam sanitation” is another lady on our list. She is usually over-dressed in that she wears at least two types of dresses at a time. In short, Sha looks overstuffed with clothes. Inquiry shows that she was married and has at least an adult son and that her husband who had lived in another town died recently. She enjoys listening and dancing rhythmically (always with a smile on her face) to music. However, she roams the streets whenever she is not dancing. We were also informed that she is never prevented from sleeping in the family house whenever she wanders into the place. Sha we call “madam sanitation” because she is always cautioning people about urinating in the gutter in front of the shopping centre where she usually spends her night.
After observing the subjects for about a year, we were able to list some common behaviours among these people as follows: