In a 2,400-word story on its front page, the New York Times (10/12, A1, Carey, Subscription Publication) reports that in certain parts of West Africa, “where psychiatry is virtually unknown,” people with severe mental illnesses end up “shackled” in “prayer camps,” living in appalling conditions, with “no treatment other than prayer.” In a separate 2,400-word article, the New York Times (10/12, Carey, Subscription Publication) reports on efforts underway to change such practices. A “growing number” of groups have begun providing mental healthcare in Africa and Asia without using clinics or physicians, instead relying on “mobile nurses, cheap generic drugs and community support systems.”
Related Links:
— “The Chains of Mental Illness in West Africa,” Benedict Carey, New York Times, October 11, 2015.