Imagine living in a rustic where talking openly about depression or anxiety can cost you your job, your popularity, and even your freedom. It continues to be a reality in Ghana, where mental illness exists Often explained Spiritually, getting help may mean going to prayer camp as a substitute of seeing a therapist. Even with global mental health awareness campaigns flooding social media and calendar days dedicated to ending the stigma, many Ghanaians proceed to struggle in silence.
We study communication and need to know how Ghanaian celebrities, particularly, manage the stigma related to their mental illness. Celebrities are sometimes treated as near-superhuman figures. He is admired for his abilities, flexibility and public influence. But also they are suffering.
for us Researchwe reached out to some celebrities who helped us reach out to others who're experiencing or have suffered from a mental illness. In total, 20 celebrities were interviewed.
Most of them told us that they hide their struggles and switch to non-public prayer as a substitute of skilled care. They remain silent for fear of being labeled “weak”, judged as “spiritually suffering” or losing job opportunities. Instead of speaking out, they pray behind closed doors, hoping their symptoms will go away before anyone notices.
Their status makes it difficult for them to speak openly about their mental illnesses. Their careers rely upon the perception of credibility and power. As a result, they cope privately, turning to prayer fairly than skilled help.
Celebrities influence public perception. Therefore, understanding how they manage mental illness and the way they manage stigma can offer priceless insights into broader societal attitudes and behaviors around mental health communication.
Insights from our conversation
Our candid conversations with 20 Ghanaian celebrities within the entertainment and sports industries revealed unique ways they manage the stigma related to mental illness. For example:
I'd get up at dawn and go to a church and pray. I could stand outside for the morning dew to fall on me in order that I could pray and ask God to make use of the dew to alter the events in my life. (male, actor)
Some reported that prayer served not only as a technique of managing stigma, but in addition as a way of healing from mental illness itself. Someone said “prayers and fasting” helped.
Others use a mix of praying for acceptance and coping. Acceptance is a Stigma management strategies Health and stigma identified by the researcher Rebecca Meisenbach. It refers to acknowledging the existence of stigma surrounding a specific condition and its application to the person.
Acceptance as a stigma management strategy is manifested through behaviors similar to disclosing symptoms related to mental illness and forming bonds with other individuals who're similarly stigmatized.
Participants in our study said they managed stigma by connecting with others with similar experiences:
When I used to be coping with depression and all that, the one person I talked to about it was my cousin. At that point he was also depressed. So that is it, we're sharing notes. You know, and we encourage one another. (Male, actor and comedian)
Another male actor and comedian shared: “Among celebrities going through mental health issues, we talk. We talk to each other. It might not be possible for me to go out and say it publicly, but among myself, I can call a colleague and say, Guy, I'm going through this disorder.”
What must be done?
Our research reveals a vital truth for Ghana. The people we admire most are also actively navigating mental health challenges behind closed doors. Their silence and ways of coping with their mental struggles reflect the identical fears that many strange Ghanaians carry. If people within the highlight are quietly battling mental illnesses, it shows that mental illness is more common than some individuals are willing to confess.
This is why it is important to start out talking about real mental illness. For mental illness to scale back stigma, it have to be talked about openly, and each shift starts somewhere: in our homes, places of worship, and workplaces. When people talk truthfully about their struggles, and if others listen and respond with empathy, it creates a culture where searching for mental help just isn't seen as shameful.
Celebrity stories show that prayer plays a central role in how celebrities largely deal with mental illness. Prayer is meaningful, culturally rooted, and spiritually mandatory for many individuals. But prayer shouldn't take the place of medical help. In short. , prayer and searching for medical help shouldn't be seen as mutually exclusive. Rather, they ought to be seen as complementary.
Mental health professionals and non secular leaders might help promote healing of mental illnesses as a process that may be achieved through each medical care and spiritual prayers fairly than as a alternative between the 2, especially in a spiritual culture like Ghana. Doing so may offer a more inclusive path to recovery and a more accepting community for individuals who fear stigma.
There is not any have to hide healing, and there isn't a have to fear help. A brand new culture of openness can begin with anyone who chooses to talk, listen and help. We hope that change begins now and that Ghana becomes a spot where spiritual care and medical support work to make mental health care accessible and stigma-free.