Seeking help for psychological distress: The interface of Zulu traditional healing and Western biomedicine

This study explores how psychological distress is identified and explained among Zulu people, examines how traditional healers understand their role and treatment methods and investigates the interaction between traditional and Western approaches to health care. Zulu people consult traditional heale...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Crawford, Tanya A. (Author) ; Lipsedge, Maurice (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Taylor & Francis 2004
In: Mental health, religion & culture
Year: 2004, Volume: 7, Issue: 2, Pages: 131-148
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:This study explores how psychological distress is identified and explained among Zulu people, examines how traditional healers understand their role and treatment methods and investigates the interaction between traditional and Western approaches to health care. Zulu people consult traditional healers namely diviners, faith healers or herbalists, as well as Western doctors to treat mental illness and distress. Whilst Western biomedicine is seen as useful in providing treatment, diviners and faith healers are particularly valued for their skills in identifying the cause of illness. Patients and their families tend to shop around for a practitioner who gives advice in keeping with their own beliefs. Psychological distress is usually explained in terms of sorcery, displeasure from the ancestors or social causes. Traditional healers use treatments aimed at harmonizing the patient with their environment through neutralizing sorcery, appeasing ancestors or directly manipulating the environment.
ISSN:1469-9737
Contains:Enthalten in: Mental health, religion & culture
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/13674670310001602463