The impact of traditional healers on the treatment of psychotic patents in Alexandria, Egypt

Abstract

Introduction

Psychotic symptoms in the Egyptian community have always been mixed up with supernatural phenomena. This makes patients and their families seek help from traditional healers who can abuse them physically, financially and sexually.

Aim

The aim of the study was to assess the impact of the traditional healers on the psychotic patients in the Egyptian community.

Objectives

To measure the percentage of patients going to traditional healers and how much they pay and for how long.

Methods

The study was conducted on a total of 555 psychotic patients. Four hundred and fifty-five psychotic patients from the Mamoura Mental state Hospital and 100 psychotic patients from a private hospital in Alexandria in duration of three months in 2006. A special questionnaire was designed and was run for all patients and their families.

Results

A total of 67.4% of male patients consulted healers while 88.4% of the females consulted healers. Only 9.4% of the females who went to the healers were highly educated compared to 19.7% of the male patients. The majority of the patients who improved were illiterate or can only read and write. Lower socioeconomic groups tend to have a higher percentage in consulting healers and a longer duration of staying in treatment with them. Although therapy at the first session tended to be for free, from the second session forward patients pay more than they would pay seeing a psychiatrist.

Conclusions

Traditional healers have a negative impact on the psychiatry practice and are sources of patient's abuse in Egypt.

Disclosure of interest

The author has not supplied their declaration of competing interest.