I first met Doris Appiah Danquah when I interviewed her for a film about mental health survivors. The meeting was truly humbling because after suffering so much cruelty and humiliation in the hands of many who purported to help her get better, she was still so forgiving. Throughout the interview, Doris kept saying “I forgive them”, “I forgive them” - so many times, we had to edit some out of the final film.
The fateful story
Doris Appiah-Danquah dropped out of Ghana Medical School because she suffered from depression, Her parents struggled to find a treatment that lasted 22 years. From Accra Psychiatric Hospital, she was sent to various traditional fetishes and spiritual camps across the country. She was starved, chained, and beaten up, as she underwent various humiliating rituals.
Doris was told her mother had cursed her and made her mad. That her condition was because she had not served God well. It was also rumoured she must have taken somebody’s husband. Sometimes she tried to escape only to wander aimlessly. She had neither shelter nor personal protection. She starved. One day, some children bought her food. After she finished eating, they threw away her plate and run away.
Doris never lost hope. She eventually recovered and trained as a nurse but she was never fully accepted in society due to deeply ingrained myths and misconceptions about mental health. She was also stigmatised but she refused to give up. Doris went on to become a powerful mental health advocate but continued to battle with relapses. These were made worse by society’s general lack of support for recovering mental health persons and misguided beliefs.
Doris died on December 1, 2021, and will be buried on 14 January 2021.
Doris’ Legacy
It is sad to hear of Doris’ passing but I believe she was an angel sent with a special message for us and generations unborn. Doris proved to be a powerful voice for the many thousands who suffer silently from mental illness - in our homes, on the streets, chained and beaten in our prayer camps and fetishes.
Doris’ legacy bestows on us to intensify efforts to create a better understanding of mental health issues and help mobilise more resources to help improve mental health care for all.