Abstract

This study is about the history of psychiatry in Malawi from the 1930s to 2020. The study uncovers the major reforms and developments that this field has witnessed from a historical perspective. The study argues that despite some reforms and policies being introduced in the field of psychiatry, the field remains colonized. This can be observed through the continuous use of a very old colonial Mental Treatment Act of 1948 and the lack of application of traditional concepts in the field. Again, the study argues that the field of psychiatry in Malawi is one of the most neglected and ignored areas in the health sector in the country. The study was driven by the scarcity of historical debates on psychiatry even though it was and has always been one of the problems affecting the health sector in the country during the colonial period and after. The study establishes that during the one-party era, from 1964 to 1994, not much was done to improve the field of psychiatry in the country. This was due to a general lack of interest in improving the health sector by the political leadership of that time. However, during the multi-party era (1994 to the present), there have been some improvements. The study has also uncovered that one major development that emerged during the post-colonial era in the field of psychiatry in Malawi was the emergence of the Roman Catholic Church in 1994 which helped improve the field of psychiatry through the opening of two mental hospitals in Malawi, in Mzuzu and Lilongwe. This was not the case during the colonial era as no church was interested in offering psychiatry services in the country despite the higher demand for the amenities. Again, the study also argues that despite their crucial role in psychiatry, very few NGOs have been involved in psychiatry in Malawi starting from the colonial period up to the present.

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School	: School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Issued Date	: 2024

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