The role of global traditional and complementary systems of medicine in the treatment of mental health disorders - The Lancet Psychiatry
Summary
Traditional and complementary
systems of medicine include a broad range of practices, which are
commonly embedded in cultural milieus and reflect community beliefs,
experiences, religion, and spirituality. Two major components of this
system are discernible: complementary alternative medicine and
traditional medicine, with different clientele and correlates of
patronage. Evidence from around the world suggests that a traditional or
complementary system of medicine is commonly used by a large number of
people with mental illness. Practitioners of traditional medicine in
low-income and middle-income countries fill a major gap in mental health
service delivery. Although some overlap exists in the diagnostic
approaches of traditional and complementary systems of medicine and
conventional biomedicine, some major differences exist, largely in the
understanding of the nature and cause of mental disorders. Treatments
used by providers of traditional and complementary systems of medicine,
especially traditional and faith healers in low-income and middle-income
countries, might sometimes fail to meet widespread understandings of
human rights and humane care. Nevertheless, collaborative engagement
between traditional and complementary systems of medicine and
conventional biomedicine might be possible in the care of people with
mental illness. The best model to bring about that collaboration will
need to be established by the needs of the extant mental health system
in a country. Research is needed to provide an empirical basis for the
feasibility of such collaboration, to clearly delineate its boundaries,
and to test its effectiveness in bringing about improved patient
outcomes.
