Views on Depression From Traditional Healing and Psychiatry Clinics in Uganda

2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura R. Johnson ◽  
Eu Gene Chin ◽  
Mayanja Kajumba ◽  
Simon Kizito ◽  
Paul Bangirana
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Explanatory Models ◽  
Traditional Healing ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Herbal Remedies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Short Supply

In Uganda, depression is a growing concern, yet mental health professionals are in short supply, and help is often sought from traditional healers. To develop an integrated system of care, we must understand sociocultural aspects of depression including beliefs about help seeking and treatment. In a mixed methods study, we used semi-structured interviews and self-report measures to assess depressed patients ( N = 30) seeking treatment in traditional healing ( n = 15) and psychiatry clinics ( n = 15) near Kampala, Uganda. We assessed demographics, symptoms, treatment characteristics, and explanatory models (EMs) of depression (e.g., labeling the problem, cause, impact on life, best type of treatment). We predicted differences across treatment settings. To further explore EMs, we assessed differences in EMs of patients and their providers by interviewing patient–provider dyads ( n = 8 dyads). Patients in both settings were similar in demographics, symptoms, perceived cause, seriousness, and impact of depression. However, patients at traditional clinics were more likely to desire herbal remedies, while those in psychiatry clinics were more likely to desire modern medication. Patient–provider dyads also had different treatment beliefs, with patients desiring financial assistance, social support, and medication, and providers more likely to suggest counseling or advice. The study highlights the need to understand diverse beliefs and treatment trajectories in a multicultural context.

scholarly journals Help-seeking Following Termination of Pregnancy after Diagnosis of Fetal Anomaly: Womenʼs Intentions and Experiences 1 to 7 Years after the Event

2018 ◽  
Vol 78 (02) ◽  
pp. 160-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franz Hanschmidt ◽  
Rahel Hoffmann ◽  
Johanna Klingner ◽  
Anette Kersting ◽  
Holger Stepan
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Emotional Problems ◽  
Self Report ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Fetal Anomaly ◽  
Current Psychological

Abstract Introduction Diagnosis of fetal anomaly and the difficult circumstances involved in the decision to terminate an affected pregnancy can go along with severe psychological distress. However, little is known about womenʼs help-seeking for emotional problems following an abortion after diagnosis of fetal anomaly. Methods 148 women who had been treated for abortion after diagnosis of fetal anomaly at the University Hospital Leipzig responded to self-report questionnaires 1 to 7 years after the event. Main outcomes were help-seeking intentions and actual help-seeking behavior. Logistic regression was used to explore the associations between participantsʼ sociodemographic characteristics and help-seeking intentions. Results Most women reported that they would seek help from their partner (91.7%), friends/family (82.8%) or the internet (62.2%). With regard to health services, 50.0% of women would seek help from gynecologists and between 43.8 and 47.9% from counseling services and mental health professionals. Intentions to seek help from support groups were lowest (21.7%). Age, income, region, and religion were associated with help-seeking intentions. Among participants with elevated levels of current psychological distress, 23.8% indicated that they had not discussed their emotional problems with a health service ever. Conclusion Gynecologists are among the most preferred health professionals for women to discuss psychological problems in the aftermath of an abortion after diagnosis of fetal anomaly. They should be actively involved in screening, diagnostic assessment, and referral of affected women.

scholarly journals Efficiency and Outcome of Healing Practices Performed by Spirit Dancers in Healing Mental Illness – A Patient’s Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 803-808
Author(s):  
Prakasha Amin ◽  
Mohan A.K
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Traditional Healing ◽  
Black Magic

BACKGROUND In many rural communities, the cause of mental illness is attributed to black magic, spirit possession of past sin and the coastal region of Karnataka is not exempted from it. The natives of this region ascribe the cause of mental illness to the spirit or demigod, and they seek the help of traditional healers such as spirit dancers for the recovery. This help-seeking behaviour of the people results in delay in seeking psychiatry care and affects the recovery of the person with mental health problems. Therefore, this study explores the opinion of clients undergone traditional healing for mental health problems and the results of the study could contribute to planning an appropriate health promotion activity to promote community mental health. METHODS The present study was explorative, undertaken in the Udupi district of Karnataka state, which explores the views of the respondents about the cause of mental health problem and the outcome of traditional healing for their problems. Altogether 200 clients visiting traditional healers for mental health care were interviewed based on the snowball sampling technique and the interview schedule was used as a tool to gather the data. RESULTS Of the 200 respondents interviewed, 27.5 percent were adults (31 to 40 years), while 43.1 percent were unemployed. Black magic was found to be the major cause for mental health problems among 25.5 percent of the respondents; whereas, 26 percent of the respondents felt recovered completely after undergoing traditional healing for mental health problems. CONCLUSIONS The recognition of mental health problems is very much essential for people with mental health problems to seek professional help. This could help mental health professionals to diagnose illness at the very beginning and provide better mental health care. However, the explanatory model of the patients needs to be taken into consideration while providing modern medical care. KEY WORDS Black Magic, Mental Illness, Serpent Worship, Spirt Dancer, Traditional Healers

scholarly journals ‘Genetic loading’ or ‘evil mind’: current conceptions of depression in Myanmar from the perspective of healthcare professionals

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 43-46
Author(s):  
Steffen Schödwell ◽  
Theresa Steinhäuser ◽  
Anna Auckenthaler
Keyword(s):  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Explanatory Models ◽  
Traditional Healing ◽  
Help Seeking Behaviour ◽  
Genetic Loading ◽  
Patients Perspective

In Myanmar, a country that has just recently opened up to the international community, Buddhist and traditional healing methods are still widely applied to various diseases and conditions. The aim of this study was to ascertain how professionals from the biomedical healthcare system in Myanmar experience interactions with patients with depression, based on the professionals' conceptualisation of this disorder. Six problem-centred interviews were conducted and analysed with grounded theory methodology. The interviewed professionals conceptualised three ways of understanding depression, including different treatment strategies: a biomedical, a contextual and a Buddhist concept of depression. Concerning the patients' perspective, the professionals mentioned somatic, religious and supernatural explanatory models, as well as corresponding help-seeking behaviour. Our results suggest that by taking a biomedical approach, professionals risk neglecting both the needs and resources of Myanmar patients with depressive symptoms.

scholarly journals A Qualitative Exploration of Addiction Disclosure and Stigma among Faculty Members in a Canadian University Context

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 7274
Author(s):  
Victoria F. Burns ◽  
Christine A. Walsh ◽  
Jacqueline Smith
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Communication Privacy Management ◽  
Key Informants ◽  
Workplace Mental Health ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Qualitative Exploration

Addiction is one of the most stigmatized public health issues, which serves to silence individuals who need help. Despite emerging global interest in workplace mental health and addiction, scholarship examining addiction among university faculty members (FMs) is lacking, particularly in a Canadian context. Using a Communication Privacy Management (CPM) framework and semi-structured interviews with key informants (deans and campus mental health professionals), this qualitative study aimed to answer the following research questions: (1) What is the experience of key informants who encounter FM addiction? (2) How may addiction stigma affect FM disclosure and help-seeking? and (3) What may help reduce addiction stigma for FMs? Thematic analysis was used to identify three main themes: (1) Disclosure was rare, and most often involved alcohol; (2) Addiction stigma and non-disclosure were reported to be affected by university alcohol and productivity cultures, faculty type, and gender; (3) Reducing addiction stigma may involve peer support, vulnerable leadership (e.g., openly sharing addiction-recovery stories), and non-discriminatory protective policies. This study offers novel insights into how addiction stigma may operate for FMs in relation to university-specific norms (e.g., drinking and productivity culture), and outlines some recommendations for creating more recovery-friendly campuses.

Biotechnology and Wealth Creation from Plant with Healing Properties

2016 ◽  
pp. 153-171
Keyword(s):  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Traditional Healing ◽  
Herbal Remedies ◽  
Therapeutic Modality ◽  
Wealth Creation ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Psychological Model ◽  
Endemic Diseases ◽  
Genomic Science ◽  
Developed Nations

The relevance of traditional healing in genomic science pertain to the use of specific herbal remedies which are therapeutic for the management of endemic diseases in developing and the least developed nations. Besides the therapeutic resources of the healers were discussed and in nature of their therapeutic modality was characterized. The physical, mental and social psychological model of traditional healing was developed. It was recommended that genomics specifically true sequencing could be applied to identify the phytochemical agents which are present in many of the herbs which traditional healers use. Among those herbs, those that are lethal and toxic to patients should be expunged.

Biotechnology and Wealth Creation From Plant With Healing Properties

2018 ◽  
pp. 113-130
Author(s):  
E. William Ebomoyi
Keyword(s):  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Traditional Healing ◽  
Herbal Remedies ◽  
Therapeutic Modality ◽  
Wealth Creation ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Psychological Model ◽  
Endemic Diseases ◽  
Genomic Science ◽  
Developed Nations

The relevance of traditional healing in genomic science pertain to the use of specific herbal remedies which are therapeutic for the management of endemic diseases in developing and the least developed nations. Besides the therapeutic resources of the healers were discussed and in nature of their therapeutic modality was characterized. The physical, mental and social psychological model of traditional healing was developed. It was recommended that genomics specifically true sequencing could be applied to identify the phytochemical agents which are present in many of the herbs which traditional healers use. Among those herbs, those that are lethal and toxic to patients should be expunged.

scholarly journals Ngā Whakāwhitinga (standing at the crossroads): How Māori understand what Western psychiatry calls “schizophrenia”

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Taitimu ◽  
John Read ◽  
Tracey McIntosh
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Historical Trauma ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Explanatory Models ◽  
Personal Construct ◽  
Structured Interviews

This project explored how Māori understand experiences commonly labelled “schizophrenic” or “psychotic”. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 57 Māori participants who had either personal experiences labelled as “psychosis” or “schizophrenia”, or who work with people with such experiences; including tangata whaiora (users of mental health services), tohunga (traditional healers), kaumatua/kuia (elders), Māori clinicians, cultural support workers and students. Kaupapa Māori Theory and Personal Construct Theory guided the research within a qualitative methodology. The research found that participants held multiple explanatory models for experiences commonly labelled “psychotic” or “schizophrenic”. The predominant explanations were spiritual and cultural. It seems that cultural beliefs and practices related to mental health within Māori communities remain resilient, despite over a century of contact with mainstream education and health services. Other explanations included psychosocial constructions (interpersonal trauma and drug abuse), historical trauma (colonisation) and biomedical constructions (chemical brain imbalance). Participants (both tangata whaiora and health professionals) reported they were apprehensive about sharing their spiritual/cultural constructions within mainstream mental health settings due to fear of being ignored or pathologised. This study highlights the importance of asking users of mental health services about the meaning they place on their experiences and recognising that individuals can hold multiple explanatory models. Māori may hold both Māori and Pākehā (European) ways of understanding their experiences and meaningful recognition should be afforded to both throughout assessment and treatment planning in mental health services. Clinicians need to be aware that important personal and cultural meanings of experiences labelled psychotic may be withheld due to fear of judgement or stigmatisation.

scholarly journals The scope and nature of prolonged social withdrawal in Israel: An initial quantitative and qualitative investigation

2020 ◽  
pp. 002076402098419
Author(s):  
Or Hareven ◽  
Tamar Kron ◽  
David Roe ◽  
Danny Koren
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Social Withdrawal ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Analysis Process ◽  
Report Data ◽  
Self Report Data

Objective: Over the past few decades, prolonged social withdrawal (PSW) among young people has been recognized in several countries. Most research has been quantitative and focused on the characteristics of PSW individuals and their families. Little attention has been given to the valuable perspective of professionals providing service to this population. The purpose of the present study is to identify the characteristics of PSW in Israel, where this phenomenon has not been researched yet. For this initial investigation, the study will utilize a combination of quantitative self-report data from parents of PSW individuals, as well as qualitative data gathered from interviews with mental health professionals who work with this population. Methods: Quantitative data were derived from records of referrals by parents of 121 PSW individuals, and later categorized into apparent characteristics of PSW. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with 19 professionals experienced in treating PSW, and later analyzed in a thematic analysis process. Results: Findings from the quantitative data revealed a majority of males (70%) with an average age of 24.2, with previously diagnosed psychiatric conditions (64%). Findings from the qualitative data exposed frequently reported characteristics of PSW individuals and their families, out of which five themes emerged: Family Dynamics, Psychological Characteristics, Typical Behaviors, Past Difficulties, and Present Challenges. Conclusion: This study is the first to identify and report characteristics of PSW in Israel, which are consistent with previous research reported in other countries. The study is highlighting familial characteristics as well as individual ones, while also considering the broader socio-cultural context. These findings draw attention to the importance of notifying the general public, clinicians, researchers, and policymakers in Israel and beyond to the concerning problem of PSW, while contributing to the efforts to develop a map of this barely explored territory.

scholarly journals Patients' relatives delayed help seeking after a first psychotic episode

2006 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera B M Monteiro ◽  
José Quirino dos Santos ◽  
Denise Martin
Keyword(s):  
Help Seeking ◽  
Psychiatric Treatment ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Treatment Method ◽  
Explanatory Models ◽  
Psychotic Episode ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
First Psychotic Episode ◽  
Mental Problems

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies show that proper treatment after the first psychotic episode may be delayed for a long time. Some patients remain without care even while exhibiting serious symptoms. The objective of the study was to understand the reasons why patients' relatives waited at least 6 months to look for psychiatric counseling and treatment. METHOD: Qualitative analyses of semi-structured interviews with 15 relatives (of patients with first psychotic episode) who have waited more than six months before seeking psychiatric treatment were applied. The interviews were recorded; transcribed and relevant portions were codified and grouped, forming terms, concepts or categories. RESULTS: These family members referred to individuals with mental problems in other families in a stereotyped fashion, citing negative aspects such as violence and criminality. They used softer terms when referring to their family members. Not knowing that their sick relative to be a case of mental illness, relatives classified certain observed behaviors as coming principally from spiritual problems and drug use. The initial delay in seeking medical help for the sick person was influenced by: 1) stereotyped misconceptions used by relatives to understand mental problems; 2) explanatory models elaborated to try to understand the sick person's behavior; 3) fear of psychiatric treatment; and 4) negative experiences with psychiatric services. CONCLUSIONS: Cultural aspects are present at all levels of this elaboration process. Their proper understanding by physicians can considerably diminish relatives' pain and suffering.

scholarly journals O10.4. THE ROLE OF CONTEXTUAL FACTORS AND ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES IN THE ACCURATE SCREENING OF PSYCHOSIS-RISK SYMPTOMS

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S25-S26
Author(s):  
Jason Schiffman ◽  
Pamela Rakhshan Rouhakhtar ◽  
Zachary Millman ◽  
Elizabeth Thompson ◽  
Peter Phalen
Keyword(s):  
Help Seeking ◽  
Screening Tool ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Screening Tools ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Accurate Identification ◽  
Irt Model ◽  
Symptom Screening ◽  
Psychosis Risk

Abstract Background Falsely observing symptoms of psychosis risk in youth is a critical limitation to pluripotent prevention efforts. Factors including race, age, and measurement construction may affect the validity of semi-structured interviews and self-report screening tools designed to identify symptoms. Consideration of different constructs measured within a single screening tool, what a screening tool can offer beyond prediction of psychosis-like symptoms, and how to maximize efficiency may all influence the ability to effectively identify people who would benefit from services. Methods Help-seeking adolescents (N=134) ages 12–25 completed various screening tools for psychosis risk, and the Structured Interview for Psychosis-risk Syndromes (SIPS). The influence of race and age on screen scores and SIPS (CHR) symptoms were examined. We also evaluated alternatives to CHR symptom screening beyond conventional CHR screening tools. Results Higher Prime Screen scores increased the probability of clinician assessed symptoms among White participants, but not Black participants (interaction: b = -0.50 Wald χ2[1] = 4.63, p = .03, Exp[B] = 0.60), and younger participants were more likely to use the Prime Screen as a dichotomous (yes/no) screener relative to older participants, reducing screener efficacy (b = -0.04, Wald χ2[1] = 3.75, p = .05, Exp[B] = 0.96). Given discrepancies across groups, we attempted to expand screening strategies. First, to better understand the Prime Screen, factor analysis suggested two distinct factors that appear to measure different constructs. Additionally, an IRT model of several CHR screening tools suggested the value of an ultra-brief two-item measure. Finally, analyses of the BASC-2, a more comprehensive measure of behavior that includes, but is not limited to, psychosis risk items, also demonstrated accurate prediction of psychosis symptoms, as well as more pluripotent conceptualizations of symptoms. Discussion Results suggest that contextual or individual factors influence the accurate identification of individuals exhibiting psychosis-risk symptoms. Tailored approaches to screening based on an awareness of context, identity, setting, and preferences of clients are possible, and customizing assessment efforts accordingly may be useful for the accurate identification of a variety of people who might benefit from services.

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