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Chapter 70 - Mental Health: Depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Substance Misuse and Stigma

from Section 10 - Non-communicable Diseases

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 June 2025

By
Primrose Nyamayaro ,
Clement Nhunzvi ,
Rukudzo Mwamuka ,
Awoke Mihretu  and
Dixon Chibanda
Edited by
David Mabey ,
Martin W. Weber ,
Moffat Nyirenda ,
Dorothy Yeboah-Manu ,
Jackson Orem ,
Laura Benjamin ,
Michael Marks  and
Nicholas A. Feasey
David Mabey
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Martin W. Weber
Affiliation:
World Health Organization
Moffat Nyirenda
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Dorothy Yeboah-Manu
Affiliation:
Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana
Jackson Orem
Affiliation:
Uganda Cancer Institute, Kampala
Laura Benjamin
Affiliation:
University College London
Michael Marks
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Nicholas A. Feasey
Affiliation:
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
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Summary

Altruism and ubuntu (I am because we are) are essential aspects of African culture. These push the agenda of mental health in Africa and depart from the individualistic, reductionist disease-oriented models that are dominant in present-day psychiatry. The healing process is usually private in the West, with interactions only between the patient and their health professional. However, this healing process in Africa is an interdependent process where the whole community is involved (Johnson 1994).

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Chapter
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Principles of Medicine in Africa , pp. 668 - 678
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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References

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