Pastoral care :Mental Health

 

“Music Therapy sessions are a reliable tool in rehabilitating mental health patients” Psycho-social department, Kissi Psychiatric Hospital

Music heals and WAYout has been running Music Therapy (MT) sessions in Sierra Leone’s biggest psychiatric hospital- Kissi Psychiatric Teaching Hospital. A recent assessment from the staff at the hospital who manage and arrange the sessions says the sessions have: “Changed lives, Reduced stress, Changed negative to positive behaviour, Increased ward discharge and helped to build the patient’s resilience.”

DRUGS:

The drug ‘Kush’ has led to the government announcing a state of National Emergency. Many talented WAYout members, who were on a journey away from street life, have become addicted. WAYout is in conversations with the Drugs Enforcement Agency about offering rehabilitation sessions in music and the arts.  It’s a heart breaking situation and with the right funding we would set up a home for WAYout addicts. At present they cannot be allowed on to the premises. There is also a lot of sensationalist journalism on the subject. WAYout poet, Alhaji Kondeh’s poem about drugs- Bad Business. BAD Business 

We are partnered with mental health organisation Armed Victims 

WAYout works with some very vulnerable young people and we are aware of a need for a greater understanding of mental health issues. We ran the first mental illness film competition and pitching forum in 2013.  This was a pioneering project for Sierra Leone. Two of the films made were in Human Rights Film Festivals and one, ‘My Side‘, won best documentary prize and was shown at the Mental health conference organised by The Mental Health Commission.

Since then things have moved on and got better but there is a long way to go. We assisted in the shooting of King’s College London’s four short films about mental health, made a short film about Martin Sinesie, a mental health nurse from Bonthe and we run regular workshops to raise awareness and tackle stigma.

Sometimes WAYout members have serious mental health problems but cannot afford treatment or treatment is not available. One member found himself chained up in a church hospital and on his release recorded “Psycho Yard” about the experience.