Sociology of Mental Illness: the Study of the Un-institutionalized Mentally Challenged in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Nigeria
(1) they all know how and when to go across the motorways. In short, none of the twenty-five “mentally ill” people “roaming the streets of Abeokuta metropolis that we observed for a duration of the study, ever attempted to cross the motor roads when it was not safe to do so; (2) they also have learnt to walk on the sidewalks (where available) and usually on the foot ways; (3) they generally do not care whether people are looking at them or not; (4) they seem to feed well, since they do not seem to fall sick like “normal” people; (5) they have routine routes that are specific to each of them; (6) they seem to have areas where they reside such as empty/abandoned bus stops, under trees and where they seem not to disturb anybody; (7) they are concerned about public hygiene in that we never once saw any of them defecate in public —in short, they seem to have been toilet trained; (8) they all seem to have been socialized or learnt in the early years that the genital areas should not be exposed. Thus, the males almost always have a piece of cloth tied/wrapped around their waists, while the females ensured that they also cover their chests; (9) none seem to be violent (the violent among the are usually forcefully relocated by community members); (10) each has some “property” (comprising of rags, or a bunch of junks or things we have discarded). The quantity and quality of the property depends on the will of each of them; (11) they can be classified as loners, in that even though they are a part of the crowd, they are at the periphery with each doing his/her “things” without much concern for the rest of us; and finally, (12) some of them show some signs of possible improvement particularly in their interpersonal relationship with people and have devised survival mechanisms. For example, (a) Banda knows the worth of money, when he is about to be cheated and how to fight for himself, (b) Casa will now accept a woman’s money so long as a man is offering it to him, and (c) Talia listens and sometimes calms down when appealed to. In all, beside their bizarreness, they seem to blend well with the masses while also maintaining uniform or patterned ways of life. It should also be mentioned that, just like the rest of us, age seem to be catching up with this set of people. They all show signs of having imbibed aspects of the culture as manifested in their daily behaviours. This is signals the fact that with little assistance and guidance they could be rehabilitated.
Conclusion
Having looked through some of the attempts made as regards the definition of mental illness, (except organic psychosis) and having observed those we have so categorized, we wish to conclude by agreeing with Thomas Szasz as he demonstrates in his writings (1961, 1996, 1998), that we need to find a more appropriate name for mental illness in the sense that we expect this behaviour to be out there and we succeed in getting it, just because we believe in it. We are also inclined to agree with Mechanic (1980:3) that the definition of mental illness in “terms of failures in social adjustment or lack of conformity to social expectations” is an inappropriate definition. While there is no doubt that some people have problems adjusting to certain life conditions. It is not necessarily true that they are mentally ill. Simply put, mental illness as it is generally used does not exist. No organic proof can establish (as there was none in the past) that neurosis and psychosis (except organic psychosis) exist. The confusion arises from the fact that we lack proper understanding of the behaviours and it is simply convenient for us with the assistance of the medical model to classify them as mental illness. For example, let us take a well publicized case. John Hinckley, Jr. planned and shot late former President Reagan and others. He was arrested and tried in court. Despite the fact that psychiatrists testified on both sides, none could cite any organic cause. Each tried to define him as either mentally ill or not based on abstract facts or causes. Yet he was found not to be guilty by reason of insanity for attempted murder. John Hinckley Jr. is still serving time in a mental institution and perhaps, will for the rest of his life. Who dares claim to have healed him when there is no physiological evidence? We do not doubt that medication can be used to control human behaviour and in fact channel the expected behaviour, but we believe that sometimes if left alone, or if the disturbing circumstances or conditions are removed, these people could return to their “normal” behaviour and perhaps the insane are those attempting to change the already labeled. For example, how can we explain the behaviour of the churchgoer who feels unfulfilled but goes haywire? How about the nursing mother of six children whose husband is jobless but yet has to see to the feeding of the children? What is the state of mind of the jobless