Abstract:
The aim of the study was to explore the notions of childhood mental illness by
Sepedi-speaking elderly people in the Mankweng community of Limpopo
Province (South Africa). Using the phenomenological method, the researcher
sought to understand these elderly people’s notions with a view to: i) describing
their conceptualizations of childhood mental illness; ii) determining their notions
of the types and causes of mental illness; and iii) describing their views
regarding the management of childhood mental illnesses. A total of 8
participants who were selected through snowball sampling were interviewed
using unstructured interviews. The results of this study suggest that; i)
childhood mental illness is better understood if described than defined, ii)
childhood mental illness is manifested through behavioural and physical
features, iii) there are many causal factors attributed to childhood mental illness,
and iv) both Western and African traditional methods are recognized in the
treatment of childhood mental illness in this rural community. The results are
discussed in the context of the psychological literature on multicultural
counseling and psychotherapy.
