I am also doing research

Engaging mental illness and precarity in Ouagadougou

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2248073
AutoresAnnigje Van Dijk (autor de correspondencia)
Año2022
Volumen38
Número4
Páginas4-6
Fecha de publicación2022-08-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAnthropology Today (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0268-540X • E-ISSN: 1467-8322
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/1467-8322.12740
OpenAlexW4289316006
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas22

Narratives about mental health in Africa often present people with mental illness in situations of extreme precarity, such as in chains or on the street. In this article, the author argues that such representations should not become the only story regarding mental illness in Africa. The article focuses on the story of Joseph, a man who is an outpatient of a psychiatric ward in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and reflects upon his experience of mental illness in relation to the ongoing story of his life. His confident statement 'I am also doing research' provides an entry point for understanding his engagements with life and mental illness as acts of experimentation that are not necessarily rooted in precarity. His story shows how precarity and possibility can evolve alongside each other. It also shows the role that psychiatry already plays in (some of) the lives of people with mental illness in an African context, interacting with other narratives of mental troubles and healing

Mental health · Mental illness · Narrative · Precarity · Psychiatry · Sociology · Gender Studies · History · Mental Health and Patient Involvement · Mental Health and Psychiatry · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Psychology