Families often turn instead to forest "prayer camps" and spiritual healers, driven by beliefs that mental illness is rooted in curses, witchcraft or possession. Meanwhile, at the Pure Power Prayer Camp in Adeiso, attendant Augustina Twumasi argued that faith-based centres help keep Ghana's weak health system together. "If not for prayer camps, the hospitals would collapse under the numbers," she told AFP. But "people don't know the law, so they don't use it", said Lady-Ann Essuman, an attorney and mental health advocate. Stigma remains a key barrier to treatment: a 2022 Afrobarometer survey revealed 60 percent of Ghanaians believe mental health conditions are caused by witchcraft or curses.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha January 21, 2026 07:07 UTC