Journal of Clinical Case Reports

Healing beyond Medicine: Cultural Perspectives in Psychiatric Illness

Abstract

Shubham Sharma, Abbas Mehdi, Umang Narayan, Parul Prasad and Aditi Jain

Introduction: Mental disorders constitute a wide spectrum ranging from sub-clinical states to very severe forms of disorders. Many patients are
exposed to numerous types of magico-religious therapy. Superstition and religious beliefs continue to hinder individuals with behavioural issues
and mental illness from obtaining psychiatric care. Religious priests and traditional faith healers are often the very first point of contact for many
people in India; however, these beliefs may hinder their ability to heal.
Objective: This study aims to determine the role of cultural and faith healing practices in the treatment of psychiatric illnesses.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital, involving 205 caregivers of mentally ill patients, who had sought prior
help from faith-healers. A semi- structured questionnaire was administered to the caregivers to determine the cultural beliefs regarding the cause
of mental illnesses, reasons for not using psychiatric care and the reason for following faith healing practices. Statistical analysis was performed
to determine the role of cultural and faith healing practices in the treatment of psychiatric illnesses.
Results: The study showed that the most commonly cited belief (82.4%) regarding the cause of mental illness was destiny. The most prevalent
reason (89.8%) for not using psychiatric care was fear of side effects. This study noted that the most common reason (81%) for resorting to the
faith healing practices were religious beliefs, customs and norms. The prevalence of faith healing practices by caregivers of mentally ill patients
is 64.94%.
Conclusion: The study found that many age-old beliefs influence the health- seeking behaviours of people suffering from mental illnesses.
The findings of the current study should draw the attention of policymakers, planners and higher authorities, at the state and municipal levels,
to numerous concerns that might come from these activities, as they might delay obtaining medical attention and so adversely affect the illness
prognosis.