Abuse and neglect of Mentally Ill Destitute and the burden of Rehabilitation in Benin Metropolis, Southern Nigeria

ABSTRACT

@#The incidence and prevalence of mentally ill destitute in metropolitan Benin, Nigeria has become a subject of public discourse particularly as they appear to lack care and the desired attention from their relatives, society and the government. Apart from the Lunacy Act (1958), Nigeria currently does not have any Act of parliament dealing with mental health and rehabilitation. This study therefore examined the abuse and neglect of mentally ill destitute and the burden of rehabilitation in Benin Metropolis, Southern Nigeria. Though a onetime survey design, the quantitative technique was adopted with the aid of both purposive and snowballing sampling methods to gather data from 610 respondents made up of medical practitioners, nurses, staff of Ministry of Women Affairs, Benin City, care givers and social workers, personnel in traditional and prayer houses, relations, friends and neighbours of mentally ill persons in Benin Metropolis. Informed consent was individually obtained from all the respondents before the commencement of the study. The data collected were analysed with the aid of inferential and descriptive statistics and the three null hypotheses formulated were rejected while the alternate hypotheses were accepted. The study found that mentally ill destitute were not only abused and neglected due to prejudice, beliefs and attitude of the people, but that there were no social or legal policy on their rehabilitation. The findings indicate that enlightenment of the populace should be done to change their negative beliefs, attitude and prejudice against the mentally ill destitute. The government on its part should enact legislation on mental health and rehabilitation.