Towards an Afrocentric approach to psychiatry

Mkize, Dan Lamla

doi:10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v9i1.128

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…S. Edwards, 1984;Erdtsieck, 2001;Freeman & Motsei, 1992;Hirst, 1993;Holdstock, 2000;Horton, 1962Horton, , 1967Horton, , 1995O.U.Kalu, 1978;K. Ogbaa, 1992;Magesa, 1998;Mbiti, 1969;D. L. Mkhize, 2003;H.…”

Section: Instances Of Abnormal Behaviour Encountered In Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…D. Edwards, 1985;Erdtsieck, 2001;Gobodo, 1990;Hirst, 1993;Holdstock, 1981Holdstock, , 2000K. Ogbaa, 1992;D. L. Mkhize, 2003;Olsson, 1989;Ngubane, 1977;Peek, 1991;Robertson, & Kottler, 1993;Sokhela et al, 1984;Turner, 1968;Whyte, 1981Whyte, , 1997Yoder, 1982), operating, in that case, as the sick person's spokesperson in search of meaning to be attached to his or her illness.…”

Section: Mechanisms Of Clinical Diagnosis Within the Africentric Paramentioning

confidence: 99%

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African psychology and the Africentric paradigm to clinical diagnosis and treatment

Nwoye

2015

South African Journal of Psychology

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The notion of clinical or psychological diagnosis in African psychology is used, at times, to refer to the redressive action that is taken to determine the source of a difficult/abnormal illness. The need for such an interventive action arises in the face of a sudden or 'strange' illness that befalls a family member and refuses to abate after all medicines (including Western psychiatric hospitalization) have been administered. Under such a situation, the tendency within the Africentric paradigm to mental health and illness is to see such a challenging illness as an extraordinary or abnormal illness that carries a hidden message that must first be decoded before a decisive solution to achieving a cure can be found. Consequently, recognizing certain illnesses as 'symbolic illnesses' or ones with a hidden meaning, indigenous African peoples routinely persuade themselves that they must go beyond the 'information given' (Bruner, 1986) to determine 'who' is speaking through such an illness and what they are expected to do to effect a cure. In this way, they try to set their eyes not only on what is happening to the sick one (the observable manifestations of the illness) but also on the question of identifying the agent behind its onset and escalation in their approach for questioning the misfortune. This article draws attention to the missing link in the Western paradigm to psychopathology and treatment that makes it unable to deal decisively with certain illness presentations of the Black African client.This article aims to achieve two main goals. The first is to demonstrate that there is a qualitative difference between the notion of psychopathology as understood in the Western, Eurocentric perspective of Psychology, and the way psychopathology is approached within the Africentric

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Section: Instances Of Abnormal Behaviour Encountered In Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mechanisms Of Clinical Diagnosis Within the Africentric Paramentioning

confidence: 99%

African psychology and the Africentric paradigm to clinical diagnosis and treatment

Nwoye

2015

South African Journal of Psychology

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“…It was also found that the more serious and severe the disorders, the more likely they were to go for traditional/spiritual healers. Mkize [35] states that mental health-care services have been in the hands of traditional healers for centuries. For this and other reasons, it is crucial for Western-trained health professionals to work hand in hand with traditional healers.…”

Section: Treatment Choicementioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical manifestations of mental disorders among Sesotho speakers

Mosotho

Louw

Calitz

et al. 2008

International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice

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Objective. The goal of this study was to compare four Sesotho-speaking clinical groups in South Africa concerning the manifestation of mental disorders. Methods. The participants were Sesotho speakers suffering from major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders and substance abuse. The participants (N=407) were assessed and diagnosed by a multi-professional team. A clinical interview was then conducted with each participant and the symptomatology compared with the DSM-IV-TR criteria. Results. Differences among the four clinical groups were found regarding age, gender, marital status, substance abuse and aggressive behavior. Although the symptomatology of all four groups overlapped with that of their counterparts in Western cultures, some differences were noted. For example, delusions and hallucinations seem to be more prevalent in the Sesotho speakers with major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders than in Westernized groups. Traditional medicine remains the first treatment of choice for a significant number of the participants. It is recommended that traditional medicine should be incorporated into the national health system. Conclusion. In multicultural societies such as South Africa, further research regarding cultural differences in the clinical manifestation of mental disorders is urgently needed in order to make the necessary provision for cultural uniqueness.

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“…Berg (2003) 50 regarded traditional healers as "highly trained psychotherapists" while also referring to "ubuntu" as depicting humanity and compassion. Mkize DL (2003) 55 saw the way forward to integrate Western and African psychiatry as a system incorporating both approaches based on the core African cultural value of "ubuntu". : "… in the beginning there was uMvelinqangi (the first Being).…”

Section: African Worldviewmentioning

confidence: 99%