"Mental Health in Sierra Leone" Entering the men section at The Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital in Freetown.

STORY SUMMARY:Living in Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital. In the whole of Sierra Leone, there is only one psychiatrist and the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital is the only official hospital in the country. There are 400 beds in the hospital but only 85 patients were staying at the hospital. Upon entering the wards, patients immediately begin asking visitors for food. During late March and beginning of April 2008, the patients did not get the normal daily meals from the government. There were no activities for the patients and many of them were chained to their bed or a pillar in the room. Mostly the patients were lying or sitting passively. There were no payment for the staff so the patients were mostly left alone.