Unpacking the Concept of Sunsum Yareɛ (Spiritual Illness) in Mental Health Research in Ghana

Previous studies investigating traditional healing and faith-based approaches to mental illness and other diseases in Ghana have consistently classified mental illness as sunsum yareɛ, attributing it to bayie (witchcraft), curses, the actions of individuals, and ancestral spirits. While these studies have relied on the accounts of their participants and should not be critiqued for any inaccuracies or for potentially failing to critically examine the broader significance of sunsum within Akan illness narratives—given that this was not a primary objective—this paper contends that such neglect, whether conscious or unconscious, has implications for how the term is utilised in broader analyses of mental illness among the Akan and within the general healthcare of individuals affected by mental illness. This paper argues that the notion of sunsum yareɛ among the Akan is considerably more complex, nuanced, and broader in perspective than represented in previous studies. To address some of the earlier conceptualisations of sunsum yareɛ, this paper employs Akan Indigenous knowledge frameworks to elucidate the cultural understanding and interpretation of the term. The paper posits that a crucial factor in the interpretation of illness is the philosophical foundation that underpins theories of causation and the approaches to addressing them. Significantly, this highlights the role of Indigenous knowledge systems in the interpretation of illness and mental health in particular.