The Ideology of Mental Illness in Ghana : A Discourse Analysis of Mental Health Laws (1972-2012)

Abstract: In 2012, Ghanaian government promulgated a new mental health law aimed at setting up a community-based health care system in order to solve several problems that are affecting mental health facilities and people with mental disorders. The new law was also thought to overcome the limitations of the previous law, which was promulgated in 1972. This study provides an analysis of the mental health laws promulgated by the government of Ghana from 1972 to 2012. Through the methodological tools offered by Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the aim of the thesis is to trace the ideological background of mental health laws and its changes over time. The analysis is particularly focused on themes such as the issue of public safety, the construction of the “mentally ill subject” and the conceptualisation of mental illness in the legal texts.