Transforming Lives, Enhancing Communities - Innovations in Global Mental Health

Mental disorders account for nearly a quarter of all years lost to disability globally. This burden has many ill effects, but arguably the most important reason for action is that many people with mental disorders are subject to severe human rights violations. Mr. K. spent nearly a year and a half bound to a log in his home village in northeastern Ghana. His crime? He had a psychotic disorder, and his family could not afford the $17 for antipsychotic medication that would have stabilized his condition. Instead, they consulted a traditional healer, who pinned Mr. K.'s right leg inside a hole in the log and warned his family not to free him lest the wrath of the gods be visited on them. At least 10% of the world's population is affected by one of a wide range of mental disorders; as many ...