A quantitative evaluation of traditional health practitioners’ perspectives on mental disorders in KwaZulu-Natal: knowledge, diagnosis, and treatment practices
Traditional healing practices are prominent in recent studies. Particularly, there is focused attention on holistic healing in treatment interventions for various illnesses, including mental disorders. This paper quantitatively evaluates the perspectives of traditional health practitioners (THPs) re...
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| Contributors: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2024
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| In: |
Journal of spirituality in mental health
Year: 2024, Volume: 26, Issue: 3, Pages: 181–201 |
| IxTheo Classification: | AG Religious life; material religion KBN Sub-Saharan Africa ZD Psychology |
| Further subjects: | B
Traditional healing
B Mental Illness B Schizophrenia B Mental Health B Traditional Healers |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Traditional healing practices are prominent in recent studies. Particularly, there is focused attention on holistic healing in treatment interventions for various illnesses, including mental disorders. This paper quantitatively evaluates the perspectives of traditional health practitioners (THPs) regarding their knowledge, diagnosis, and treatment practices of mental disorders, especially schizophrenia. Special attention was paid to symptoms of schizophrenia as they seem to overlap with the symptoms of bewitchment and an ancestral calling. Self-developed questionnaires were administered to 100 THPs from Harry Gwala District, KwaZulu-Natal. Black, middle-aged female THPs classified as diviners were prevalent. They reflected knowledge of mental disorders and played a role in their diagnosis and treatment. Medicinal concoction was the commonly prescribed treatment option. |
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| ISSN: | 1934-9645 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of spirituality in mental health
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/19349637.2023.2194561 |