Aims: To determine the general characteristics of people with mental disorders in traditional healers centres in Sudan in
terms of sociodemographic profile, common clinical presentations and diagnostic features, and to look at the treatment
methods and intervention procedures used in these centres for treating people with mental illness.
Recent qualitative research conducted in metropolitan Perth and the Kimberley region of
Western Australia has highlighted major gaps in service delivery to Aboriginal clientele
suffering depression and suicidal ideation (Vicary, 2002). Seventy Aboriginal people were
interviewed about their beliefs and attitudes towards mental health, western psychology and
Themajority of the population in South Africa use traditional health care to treat various mental conditions.
In this review, we present ethnobotanical information on plants used by the traditional healers in South
Africa to treat mental illnesses, specifically epilepsy, depression, age-related dementia and debilitative
In a follow-up to an earlier study we decided to interview a number of religious
healers and ascertain their views on mental illness. A sample of ten healers-Hindu, Muslim
and Christian-were interviewed at length. In addition, jive sites of healing were visited and
various religious rituals observed. The general emphasis in care is on a pluralistic holistic
Indigenous ‘‘First Nations’’ communities have consistently associated their disproportionate
rates of psychiatric distress with historical experiences of European colonization.
This emphasis on the socio-psychological legacy of colonization within tribal
communities has occasioned increasingly widespread consideration of what has been
This commentary presents an “in
digenist” model of Native women’s
health, a stress-coping paradigm
that situates Native women’s health
within the larger context of their status
as a colonized people. The
model is grounded in empirical evidence
that traumas such as the
“soul wound” of historical and contemporary
discrimination among
Objectives: This paper will present the findings
from a qualitative study exploring the narratives of
Indigenous counsellors in Native community.
Design: The study employed a qualitative design.
Semi-structured narrative interviews were used and
analyzed through a narrative methodology.
Methods: One Native community health agency
For major physical diseases, it is widely accepted that
members of the public will benefit by knowing what actions
they can take for prevention, early intervention, and treatment.
However, this type of public knowledge about mental
disorders (mental health literacy) has received much less
attention. There is evidence from surveys in several countries
Although some cultural practices have been identified as a determinant of HIV transmission, research investigating how specific practices affect HIV risk is lacking. In Malawi, initiation rites, in which young people attend ceremonies around the time of puberty, have received little attention.
Every culture has traditionally had ways of dealing with psychological
distress and behavioral deviance. For example, in the United States
for the last century, counseling has evolved into a formal profession
designed to help individuals resolve both situational and developmental
problems in various aspects of their lives.