A Hospital-based Study of the Prevalence and Usage of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among Saudi Psychiatric Patients

Abstract

IntroductionComplementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies, used singularly or in combination with more conventional therapies, are routinely used by citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for medical care or seeking wellness. However, the prevalence of CAM therapies among Saudi psychiatric patients is not yet documented. To better understand the importance of CAM in today’s medical field, particularly within the KSA and for psychiatric patients, this descriptive study aims to characterize the use of CAM therapies by a sample of psychiatric patients in the KSA.MethodsThis cross-sectional hospital-based study describes the use of CAM therapies by Saudi psychiatric patients being treated at one of the largest government hospitals in the KSA. Using a pretested questionnaire, adult psychiatric patients waiting for their appointment or during their stay at a government hospital in Riyadh were interviewed regarding the use of CAM therapies after agreeing to participate.ResultsForty-five adult psychiatric patients agreed to participate in this study. The average age of the participants in the study was 35. Of the participants, 62% were females, 91.1% were outpatients, and 44.4% were diagnosed with depression. Moreover, 82.2% of the participants reported using one or more types of CAM therapies within the past year to address mental illness. Of those who used CAM therapies, 62.2% did so to improve their quality of life; 59.5% did so for treatment, supportive treatment, or both, and 54.1% used CAM therapies to help control symptoms. The most frequent CAM therapies used by psychiatric patients were spiritual therapies such as Quran recitation; body therapies, mainly exercise; and mind therapies, mainly relaxation techniques. These CAM therapies were used mainly as treatments or supportive treatments for depression. Most of the participants who used CAM therapies were satisfied with the use of these therapies (75.7%). Finally, 45.9% of the participants had not discussed the use of CAM therapies with their doctors, primarily because of their reluctance to share private information, especially spiritual matters, with the treating physicians.ConclusionsThe study results suggest a high prevalence of CAM therapy use among Saudi adult psychiatric patients, as well as a high level of satisfaction with such therapies. However, since about half of the patients had not discussed the use of CAM therapies with their physicians, and since some of the CAM therapies may cause unfavorable interactions when used alongside certain medications or medical interventions, healthcare providers should be diligent about inquiring of their psychiatric patients any use of CAM therapies, not only during the initial visit but also during the follow-up visits as well.

Complementary health approaches use in Turkish patients with mental disorders: Related factors and perceived benefits

“…In addition, in the present study, the most common types of CHA used were religious/spiritual activities and herbal therapy. This result was in line with the previous studies that reported that patients used the most religious/spiritual activities and herbal therapy 14,20 . The high rate of religious/spiritual activities and herbal therapy use can be due to various reasons.…”

“…In the present study, 62% of the participants used CHA. The prevalence of the CHA use in patients with mental disorders was 44.8% in Germany, 19 6.4% in Singapore, 15 17.8% in Europe, 22 43.8% in the United States, 29 31% in South Africa, 30 62% in Sweden, 17 55% in Japan, 12 22–40% in Turkey, 13,20 82% in Saudi Arabia, 14 89% in Kenya, and 28% in Nigeria 18 . An evaluation of the results shows that the CHA use in mental disorders varies from one country to another, even from one region to another within the same country.…”

“…The high rate of religious/spiritual activities and herbal therapy use can be due to various reasons. Spiritual activities can differ with regard to religion and cultural background 13,14,30 . Spirituality is a sense of being in a relationship with higher power (e.g., God), searching for the meaning and purpose of life, recovery by a nonphysical means (prayer, namaz, reading and listening to the Qur'an, etc.…”

“…However, CHA are used under the supervision of healthcare professionals or they are self‐prescribed 22–24 . Rajab et al 14 found that although 82% of the patients used CHA in their study, 46% did not report this to their healthcare provider. Solomon and Adams 16 concluded that patients using CHA do not consult health providers due to concerns about negative reactions.…”

“…The CHA use in mental disorders is closely related to the characteristics of the disease, side effects or addictive potential of medications, fear of stigma, socio‐demographic characteristics of the patients (age, sex, education, economic status, social support network), belief system, cultural or ethnic origin, lack of a standard control mechanism and therefore ease of access to products 7,10,12,13 . In literature, it is reported that the prevalence of CHA in patients with mental disorders varies between 3.6% and 89%, and patients use CHA with or without medical treatment 7,13–18 …”