What do African traditional medical practitioners do in the treatment of mental disorders in Zimbabwe?

Kajawu, Lazarus; Chingarande, Sunungurai D.; Jack, Helen; Ward, Catherine; Taylor, Tonya N.

doi:10.1080/17542863.2015.1106568

Cited by 28 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Various authors have examined why people in different African countries choose to use medical systems other than biomedical care. 43,44,45 Although the literature is limited, the reasons for the choice of care in Ghana reflect similar trends as has been reported in other African countries. It has been argued that alternative systems of care are often the first point of call for people who view biomedicine as foreign.…”

Section: The Use Of Indigenous and Faith Healing By Patients In Ghanasupporting

confidence: 57%

Indigenous and faith healing for mental health in Ghana: An examination of the literature on reported beliefs, practices and use of alternative mental health care in Ghana

Kpobi

Swartz

2019

Afr. j. prim. health care fam. med.

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Background: For many people in African countries, various forms of health care are utilised for the treatment of illness. This pluralistic nature of health seeking includes the use of indigenous, faith and allopathic medicines for care.Aim: In this article, our aim was to gain insight into the existing knowledge on indigenous and faith healing in Ghana, with a particular focus on mental health care. We first examine the reported mental health beliefs and practices of Ghanaian alternative healers. Following this, we look at the use and purported preference for non-biomedical mental health care by patients.Methods: Relevant literature was examined to explore the beliefs, practices and use of non-biomedical mental health care systems in GhanaResults: Evidence for the use and preference for non-biomedical mental health care is largely anecdotal. Similarly, the mental health beliefs of alternative healers have been documented in various small-scale studies. However, such information is important if mental health services in Ghana are to be improved.Conclusion: Integration of the different healthcare systems must be built on knowledge of beliefs and methods. A clearer understanding of the work of non-biomedical healers is important if appropriate recommendations are to be made for collaboration between biomedical and non-biomedical systems in Ghana.

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Section: The Use Of Indigenous and Faith Healing By Patients In Ghanasupporting

confidence: 57%

Indigenous and faith healing for mental health in Ghana: An examination of the literature on reported beliefs, practices and use of alternative mental health care in Ghana

Kpobi

Swartz

2019

Afr. j. prim. health care fam. med.

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“…In addition to their causal beliefs, there have also been studies on how TAM practitioners treat mental illness [19–24]. The treatments varied based on the orientation of the healer.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implications of healing power and positioning for collaboration between formal mental health services and traditional/alternative medicine: the case of Ghana

Kpobi

Swartz

2018

Global Health Action

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Background: Many current debates about global mental health have increasingly called for collaboration between biomedical and traditional medical health systems. Despite these calls, not much has been written about the variables that would influence such collaboration. To a large extent, collaboration dialogues have considered biomedicine on the one hand, and a wide range of traditional and faith-based treatments on the other hand. However, this dualistic bifurcation does not reflect the plurality of healing systems in operation in many contexts, and the diverse investments that different non-biomedical healing approaches may have in their own power to heal. Objective: We set out to explore the diversity of different healers’ perceptions of power, and the relationship between that power and the perceived power of biomedical approaches. Methods: Through a qualitative design, and using the case of medical pluralism in urban Ghana as an example, we conducted interviews among different categories of traditional and alternative medicine (TAM) practitioners living and/or working in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Results: Through thematic analyses, differences in the notions about collaboration between the different categories of healers were identified. Their perceptions of whether collaboration would be beneficial seemed, from this study, to co-occur with their perceptions of their own power. Conclusions: We suggest that an important way to move debates forward about collaboration amongst different sectors is to examine the notions of power and positioning of different categories of TAM healers in relation to biomedicine, and the attendant implications of those notions for integrative mental healthcare.

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“…Historically, mental health care in Tanzania has been provided by a traditional healing system based on the commonly believed association between mental illness and religious and spiritual factors. However, those working as traditional healers are often not regulated by any state governments (country dependant) and do not work within formal health centers [ 10 ]. This practice still remains prevalent and the availability of trained mental health professionals is low [ 47 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Health literacy, which encompasses mental health literacy (MHL), is globally recognized as a foundation for good health and may be a stronger determinant of an individual’s health status than income, employment status, education level, and racial or ethnic group [ 46 ]. Our understanding of MHL has changed over the last number of years [ 10 , 16 , 18 , 21 ] and is defined as: (1) understanding how to obtain and maintain positive mental health; (2) understanding mental disorders and their treatments; (3) decreasing stigma related to mental disorders; and (4) enhancing help-seeking efficacy (knowing when and where to seek help and developing competencies designed to improve one’s mental health care and self-management capabilities [ 10 , 16 , 18 ]. MHL is considered as the foundation for mental health promotion, early identification of mental illness, intervention and continuing care [ 20 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A school mental health literacy curriculum resource training approach: effects on Tanzanian teachers’ mental health knowledge, stigma and help-seeking efficacy

Kutcher

Wei

Gilberds³

et al. 2016

Int J Ment Health Syst

101

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BackgroundMental health literacy (MHL) is foundational for mental health promotion, prevention, stigma reduction, and care; School supported information pertaining to MHL in sub-Saharan Africa is extremely limited, including in Tanzania. Successful application of a school MHL curriculum resource may be an effective way to increase teacher MHL and therefore help to improve mental health outcomes for students.MethodsSecondary school teachers in Tanzania were trained on the African Guide (AG) a school MHL curriculum resource culturally adapted from a Canadian MHL resource (The Guide) for use in Africa. Teacher training workshops on the classroom application of the AG were used to evaluate its impact on mental health literacy in a sample of Tanzanian Secondary school teachers. Pre-post training assessment of participant knowledge and attitudes was conducted. Help-seeking efficacy for teachers themselves and their interventions for students, friends, family members and peers were determined.ResultsPaired t test (n = 37) results demonstrate highly significant improvements in teacher’s overall knowledge (p < 0.001; d = 1.14), including mental health knowledge, (p < 0.001; d = 1.14) and curriculum specific knowledge (p < 0.01; d = 0.63). Teachers’ stigma against mental illness decreased significantly following the training (p < 0.001; d = 0.61). Independent t tests comparing the paired sample against unpaired sample also demonstrated significant differences between the groups for teacher’s overall knowledge (p < 0.001). Teachers also reported high rates (greater than ¾ of the sample) of positive help-seeking efficacy for themselves as well as for their students, friends, family members and peers. As a result of the training, the number of students teachers identified for potential mental health care totaled over 200.ConclusionsThese positive results, when taken together with other research, suggest that the use of a classroom-based resource (the AG) that integrates MHL into existing school curriculum through training teachers may be an effective and sustainable way to increase the MHL (improved knowledge, decreased stigma and positive help-seeking efficacy) of teachers in Tanzania. As this study replicated the results of a previous intervention in Malawi, consideration could be given to scaling up this intervention in both countries and applying this resource and approach in other countries in East Africa.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13033-016-0082-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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What do African traditional medical practitioners do in the treatment of mental disorders in Zimbabwe?

Cited by 28 publications

References 17 publications

Indigenous and faith healing for mental health in Ghana: An examination of the literature on reported beliefs, practices and use of alternative mental health care in Ghana

Indigenous and faith healing for mental health in Ghana: An examination of the literature on reported beliefs, practices and use of alternative mental health care in Ghana

Implications of healing power and positioning for collaboration between formal mental health services and traditional/alternative medicine: the case of Ghana

A school mental health literacy curriculum resource training approach: effects on Tanzanian teachers’ mental health knowledge, stigma and help-seeking efficacy

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