Doctoral Degrees (Psychology)

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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Psychology) by Subject "Accra (Ghana)"

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    Indigenous and faith healing for mental disorders : an exploratory study of healers in Accra, Ghana
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-12) Kpobi, Lily Naa Ayorkor; Swartz, Leslie; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Mental health care in Ghana is not limited to biomedical care. A large number of service users are believed to utilise non-biomedical avenues in the pathway to health seeking. These non-biomedical treatments include indigenous and faith healing methods. Although some studies in Ghana have examined the reasons for and use of alternative mental health care methods, not many have examined the beliefs about mental illness and the treatment methods of the healers themselves. In this qualitative study, my aim was to examine how indigenous and faith healers conceptualised mental disorders, providing rich data on their perspectives and experiences. In particular, I questioned the perceived homogeneity of non-biomedical practitioners in Ghana by examining the nuances in mental health notions between different categories of non-biomedical healers. Thus, the objectives were to assess the beliefs and methods of different types of healers about different types of disorders, as well as to examine their views on collaboration with biomedical service providers. Using Kleinman’s Explanatory Models of Illness concept as a guiding framework, individual, semi-structured interviews using case vignettes were conducted with thirty-six indigenous and faith healers who lived and/or worked in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The healers comprised herbalists, Pentecostal Christian faith healer, Muslim healers, and traditional medicine men/priests. The findings of this research suggest that unlike the perceptions of homogenous conceptualisation of mental disorders by non-biomedical practitioners, differences exist in the way different disorders are understood and treated by indigenous and faith healers, including differences in classification, perceived best treatments and perceived impact of the disorder. Although there were some similarities to biomedical concepts as well as between the healers, there were also important differences across the different types of healers. With respect to integration of services, the healers’ views on collaboration with biomedicine varied based on their own perceptions of power and position. These findings present further perspectives on the fluid, dynamic and often multifaceted nature of mental health care provision in a country such as Ghana, and provide a lens to understanding the work of indigenous and faith healing in a pluralistic health care setting. The study concludes by outlining some potential next steps for developing dialogues on integration of mental health care services in Ghana.