Prevalence and Impact of Abuse Experienced by Persons with Severe Mental Illness: A Systematic Review

Rani, Akanksha; Raman, K; Singh, Vinit Kumar; Antony, Sojan; Ammapattian, Thirumoorthy; Chethan, B; Prabhu, Sphoorthi G.

doi:10.1089/vio.2022.0017

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 72 publications

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“…Both the female patient who expressed the enduring psychological pain of being physically assaulted by the husband because of a house fire, and another who agonised about being habitually taunted by the caregiver to take her own life because she was too demanding, for example, alluded to this victimisation as negatively impacting their recovery. This finding echoes those from a systematic review by Rani and colleagues [ 39 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Victimisation in the life of persons with severe mental illness in Uganda: a pluralistic qualitative study

Rutakumwa,

Knizek,

Tusiime

et al. 2024

BMC Psychiatry

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Introduction Victimisation of persons with severe mental illness is recognised as an urgent global concern, with literature pointing to higher rates of violent victimisation of persons with severe mental illness than those of the general population. Yet, for low income countries, there is a huge gap in the literature on the risk, character and victims’ in-depth experiences of victimisation of persons with severe mental illness. We explore the lived experiences and meanings of victimisation of persons with severe mental illness in Uganda, and discuss their implications for care of the mentally ill. Methods A pluralistic qualitative study was undertaken to explore victimisation among patients with severe mental illness. Patients who had suffered victimisation were purposively sampled from Butabika National Referral Mental Clinic and Masaka Regional Referral Hospital, following confirmation of symptom remission. In-depth interviews were held with 18 participants, comprising 13 females and 5 males from low to moderate socioeconomic status. Interpretative phenomenological analysis and thematic content analysis were conducted. Results Victimisation was exhibited in three main forms: (a) psychological, expressed in attitudes towards mentally ill family members as valueless and dispensable, and stigmatisation, (b) physical, as manifested in beatings, indoor confinement and tethering mostly by family members and (c) sexual victimisation, particularly rape. Also observed were victim’s various responses that pointed to the negative impact of victimisation, including a heightened risk of suicide, social withdrawal, a sense of hatefulness and a predisposition to more victimisation. Conclusion The family environment plays a predominant role in perpetrating victimisation of the mentally ill in some sub-Saharan African contexts such as Uganda. We propose a holistic framework for mental health interventions, incorporating biomedical but notably also social determinants of mental health, and targeted at improving familial relationships, social support and a sense of belongingness both within the family and the broader community.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%