Traditional Healing Practices Sought by Muslim Psychiatric Patients in Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract

This research explored the type of traditional healing practices sought by Muslim psychiatric patients treated at public hospitals of Lahore city, Pakistan. The sample comprised 87 adult psychiatric patients (38% male and 62% female). The patients self‐reported on the Case History Interview Schedule that they had sought diverse traditional healing methods, including Homeopathy, Naturopathy (Tibb), Islamic Faith Healing, and Sorcery, for their psychiatric disorders prior to their current treatment from licensed psychiatrists, with the majority indicating they had sought more than one of these traditional healing practices. Patients with different psychiatric disorders sought multiple traditional healing methods for the treatment of their mental disorders: somatoform (73%); personality/conduct disorders (73%); schizophrenia (70%); affective disorders (68%); and anxiety disorders (55%). Proportionately more male than female patients used multiple traditional healing practices. The male patients showed a higher number of visits per week to traditional healers than their female counterparts. These different help‐seeking practices may be attributed to gender discrimination in mobility and taboos attached to women’s consultation of male traditional healers. The study demonstrates Islamic religious traditions and Pakistani cultural norms affected the health care choices of Pakistani psychiatric patients.

Keywords:

• Gender discrimination
• Islamic faith healers
• Pakistani cultural norms
• Psychiatric/mental disorders
• Sorcerers
• Traditional healing practices