The concept of mental illness is not universal, rather mental illness is perceived and treated differently around the world. In Morocco for instance, mental health issues can be viewed extremely negatively, and many believe that mental illnesses as well as addictions are due to possession by evil spirits or demons.
"The level of awareness in the general population is so low that a lot of people tend to interpret their syndromes, their delusions and anxieties, as a curse, as something that has nothing to do with medicine" (news.yahoo.com).
Whether it be from an extreme lack of psychiatrists and adequate psychiatric facilities, poor education, and/or cultural, spiritual or political beliefs, mental illness is not readily perceived as a medical issue in Morocco , and as such it is handled very differently than in other regions like North America.
The article, "Morocco's mentally ill await deliverance from their 'demons'" by Simon Martelli (Yahoo News), discusses in particular, a sanctuary of a former Moroccan saint, where many with mental health issues are sent in the hopes that they are cured by the healing spirits and powers that are believed to exist there. However, reports have been surfacing that suggest the treatment patients receive in this sanctuary may be anything but healing ...
"Activists say hundreds of people have been kept in chains here, sometimes starved and beaten, making the place a byword for cruelty and highlighting the stigma attached to mental illness in Morocco" (news.yahoo.com).
"The level of awareness in the general population is so low that a lot of people tend to interpret their syndromes, their delusions and anxieties, as a curse, as something that has nothing to do with medicine" (news.yahoo.com).
Whether it be from an extreme lack of psychiatrists and adequate psychiatric facilities, poor education, and/or cultural, spiritual or political beliefs, mental illness is not readily perceived as a medical issue in Morocco , and as such it is handled very differently than in other regions like North America.
The article, "Morocco's mentally ill await deliverance from their 'demons'" by Simon Martelli (Yahoo News), discusses in particular, a sanctuary of a former Moroccan saint, where many with mental health issues are sent in the hopes that they are cured by the healing spirits and powers that are believed to exist there. However, reports have been surfacing that suggest the treatment patients receive in this sanctuary may be anything but healing ...
"Activists say hundreds of people have been kept in chains here, sometimes starved and beaten, making the place a byword for cruelty and highlighting the stigma attached to mental illness in Morocco" (news.yahoo.com).
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