The role of global traditional and complementary systems of medicine in the treatment of mental health disorders

Abstract

Traditional and complementary systems of medicine (TCM) encompass a broad range of practices which are commonly embedded within contextual cultural milieu, reflecting community beliefs, experiences, religion and spirituality. Evidence from across the world, especially from low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), suggests that TCM is commonly used by a large number of persons with mental illness. Even though some overlap exists between the diagnostic approaches of TCM and conventional biomedicine (CB), there are major differences, largely reflecting differences in the understanding of the nature and etiology of mental disorders. However, treatment modalities employed by providers of TCM may sometimes fail to meet common understandings of human rights and humane care. Still, there are possibilities for collaboration between TCM and CB in the care of persons with mental illness. Research is required to clearly delineate the boundaries of such collaboration and to test its effectiveness in bringing about improved patient outcomes.

Barriers to and facilitators of employment for people with psychiatric disabilities in Africa: a scoping review

“…The stigma may be related to the attribution of the etiology of mental illness to supernatural causes [41]. This understanding informed the proposal by Gureje and colleagues for a collaboration between traditional and complementary systems of medicine (TCM) and conventional biomedicine (CB) in the care of persons with mental illness [42]. In addition, there is a lack of interest in mental health and of the political will to develop policies to advance mental health care at the same pace as addressing other health challenges in Africa [43].…”

Mental health care and delivery system at Temeke hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

“…The majority of clients use both the traditional and biomedical models of treatment [20]. The behaviour of seeking treatment is embedded within contextual cultural milieu, reflecting community beliefs, experiences, religion, and spirituality [21]. However, it is not part of the aim of this study to discuss in details mental health treatment seeking behaviour of participants.…”

Ghanaian traditional and faith healers' explanatory models of intellectual disability

“…The rates of intellectual disability vary from country to country, but are probably higher in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) than in wealthier countries, due to social and economic factors such as poverty, nutrition and poor or limited formal healthcare services (Kromberg et al, 2008). There is limited access to biomedical healthcare services in these countries, and the use of traditional and alternative medicine (TAM) is common (Abera, Robbins, & Tesfaye, 2015;Christianson et al, 2002;Gureje et al, 2015). TAM is often the first point of call for many people in LMICs, and TAM practitioners form a large part of the healthcare labour force in these countries (WHO, 2013).…”