Authors : Olayinka Atilola and Funmilayo Olayiwola
Abstract: Content review of films is not a popular research venture in Nigeria. This study examines the current frequency and modes of framing mental illness in the Yoruba genre of Nigerian home videos bearing in mind some of the perceived limitations of earlier studies. All Yoruba films on display in a convenient sample of shops in Ibadan (Nigeria) were sampled for content review. Twenty seven (26.2%) of the 103 films studied contained scenes depicting Mental illness. The most commonly depicted aetiology was sorcery and enchantment by witches and wizards as well as other supernatural and preternatural forces. Psychotic symptoms were the most commonly depicted while effective treatments were mostly depicted as taking place in unorthodox settings. The study adds to the limited evidence that scenes of mental illness are common in Nigerian home videos and that their depictions may be inimical to public mental health education and any on going effort to reduce psychiatry stigma. Nigerian psychiatrists may need to start considering ways of engaging the Nigerian movie industry.
Olayinka Atilola and Funmilayo Olayiwola, 2011. Mind Frames in Nollywood: Frames of Mental Illness in Nigerian Home Videos. Research Journal of Medical Sciences, 5: 166-171.