No help for the homeless in Dakar and the mentally ill

On the sunny avenues of Dakar, troubled souls wander aimlessly beside traffic, often mumbling, sometimes begging, as the rest of the city ignores them

Dressed in a blue electric wool hat and traditional white dresses. In thought, a man goes round in circles on the main square of the Senegalese capital, day after day.

At the end of the afternoon, his sporadic and piercing screams silenced the calls of the street vendors who offered newspapers to the residents. designer sunglbades and alarm clocks. Pbadersby stopped paying attention

There are no "official numbers" of sick and abandoned Senegalese wandering the streets, told AFP Papa Mamadou Diagne, a sociologist who wrote an academic article on the issue. But, he wrote, "the number of mental patients on the streets of Dakar is increasing."

"Every morning, they meet, go through garbage cans for food and then disperse in the capital, alone. who have a family, lack of money is the main reason why the sick person is left on the street. "

There are only five cadres in the country to treat mental health problems, including two large psychiatric units in Dakar.In a country of 14 million, there is only one in the country. 39, about 30 psychiatrists, according to an expert

On the whole of the African continent, mental health problems are generally not treated, say the experts.

– The people there are not. have failed to get help.In separate studies in Ethiopia and Nigeria, the figures reached 90%.

Senegal is one of the economic heavyweights of the region and a plaque However, a thriving economy has not led to increased investment in mental health, as resources are inevitably concentrated on physical diseases such as malaria and HIV / AIDS. HIV

Abandoned by Families

Near a clbady district of Dakar where bougainvilleas grow in immaculate white villas, Dr. Aida Sylla, who is the first Senegalese psychiatrist, heads the psychiatric unit. from Fann Hospital

There are only eight beds, all empty, in the building with green walls. Several women are waiting for a doctor, head down.

Patients arrive at her home "when local authorities, police or firefighters intervene with an order of internment," she says.

The most common disorders are schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. according to the Senegalese psychiatrist Jean Tine.

"We can feel that some patients want to be here once they are more stable, social workers are looking for their family because we do not have enough space." after Sylla, some wealthy families want to give us money to keep them in the hospital "

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The suffering of patients is compounded by the rejection of their families, told AFP the psychiatrist, also head of the mental health division of the Senegalese Ministry of Health

: "Some parents ignore their wandering children There are mothers who ignore their daughters, or sick mothers ignored by their families who end up begging in the streets, and then the money is picked up by their parents. "

Violence, prison

Violence against this vulnerable group is widespread.

"This morning, I found a man whose hands were tied with a rope" by his family, said Sylla.

"Many mentally ill people are in prison, others are killing themselves or being killed."

In much of Africa, especially in conflict areas where traumatic symptoms are severe, the authorities are blocking mentally disturbed people. Chained for years, ostensibly for his own safety.

In Senegal, many of those in need of treatment can not have access to medical aid, and many end up being imprisoned, according to Amnesty International

. Whenever a sick person gets violent in the street, oddly enough, she ends up in prison, "said AFP Seydi Gbadama, director of the Amnesty Office in Senegal