Outcasts and rejects, pt 1

"I'm not saying this to scare you," my friend started in, but the way she continued seemed like her intention really was to make me afraid of walking home. She told about the "crazy person" who's got a problem with white people and has bothered another friend who lives here. Sometimes he carries a knife. And he's big. And he's not reasonable. This was a bit of a new type of situation to be concerned about.

The streets are normally pretty safe for me here. I have to be smart about traffic, and I don't generally go out by myself after 10 PM, but the chances of running into an actual problem have been low. I might be harassed verbally, but I never worry about my physical safety. But men who are mentally ill are a different class of problem. And how did they get that way?

"That person stole from his family, his father didn't know he was the thief, so he put a curse on him. And then the guy went crazy."

"They used to mix battery acid, or other acid with their drugs and smoke it, that's why so many people who are crazy are around the same age."

"We've sent a lot of crazy people to the nearby French island, but lately they're being sent back."

"He's really smart, but he studied too much and went crazy." Is it because of a curse on the smart one? Or exposure to dangerous influences that invited an evil spirit? But it does seem strange how many of the crazy or demon possessed start speaking in English, French, or Malagasy.

There's no good solution here for people who are mentally ill. If they do something to get arrested-- destroying property, attacking a person-- they might be arrested and fined. But there's no separate prison for mentally ill individuals, so they're just locked up with everyone else, and that's not a good situation for either them or the general incarcerated populace. So if you're mentally ill and imprisoned, chances are you'll only be locked up for a short time, then set free.

What about medication? Well, there's no psychiatric care here, so that's off the list.

So instead they are either locked up at home (which bothers the neighbors), or left to roam the streets. An individual with mental illness is often first recognized by their clothing: they're not fully clothed, or their clothes fit poorly, or if it's a woman her hair isn't properly braided/covered and she's not wearing a shawl or other wrap. It's not hard to spot a person with mental illness, but caring for them is difficult. We've got English teachers serving here, a nurse and a pediatrician, but it's obvious that there is great need for mental health professionals. So pray for this, and, if you know someone interested, point them our way!

You might have noticed that this post is labeled "pt 1". The next few posts will feature other groups of people here who aren't accepted in general society.