Trust in God, but tie your donkey

Holy water priest healers' views on collaboration with biomedical mental health services in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2395590
AutoresYonas Baheretibeb (Addis Ababa University), Dawit Wondimagegn (0000-0002-5035-3731, Addis Ababa University), Sharmistha Law (0000-0002-1918-8782, University of Toronto, autor de correspondencia)
Año2024
Volumen61
Número2
Páginas246-259
Fecha de publicación2024-04-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaTranscultural Psychiatric Research Review (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0041-1108 • E-ISSN: 0315-4386
EditorialSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/13634615241227681
PMID38314780
OpenAlexW4391540284
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas4
Referencias citadas87

This exploratory qualitative study examines holy water priest healers' explanatory models and general treatment approaches toward mental illness, and their views and reflections on a collaborative project between them and biomedical practitioners. The study took place at two holy water treatment sites in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Twelve semi-structured interviews with holy water priest healers found eight notable themes: they held multiple explanatory models of illness, dominated by religious and spiritual understanding; they emphasized spiritual healing and empathic understanding in treatment, and also embraced biomedicine as part of an eclectic healing model; they perceived biomedical practitioners' humility and respect as key to their positive views on the collaboration; they valued recognition of their current role and contribution in providing mental healthcare; they recognized and appreciated the biomedical clinic's effectiveness in treating violent and aggressive patients; they endorsed the collaboration and helped to overcome patient and family reluctance to the use of biomedicine; they lamented the lack of spiritual healing in biomedical treatment; and they had a number of dissatisfactions and concerns, particularly the one-way referral from religious healers to the biomedical clinic. The study results show diversity in the religious healers' etiological understanding, treatment approaches and generally positive attitude and views on the collaboration. We present insights and explorations of factors affecting this rare, but much needed collaboration between traditional healers and biomedical services, and potential ways to improve it are discussed

Alternative medicine · Biomedicine · Explanatory model · Mental health · Psychiatry · Psychotherapist · Referral · Shame · Spirituality · Traditional medicine · Medicine · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Nursing · Psychology · Religion, Society, and Development · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Social Psychology