Afro-centric religious consultations as treatment for psychotic disorders among day hospital patients in Santiago de Cuba

We investigated the utilisation of Afro-centric religious treatments for psychotic disorders among a sample of Cuban day hospital patients. Most (55%) had used such treatments and this practice was more common among older persons, although unassociated with any particular religious background or rac...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Mental health, religion & culture religion & culture, 2011-09, Vol.14 (7), p.691-701
Main Authors: Gibson, Roger Carl, Morgado, Alain Jiménez, Brosyle, Alberto Cutie, Mesa, Elena Hamilton, Sanchéz, Concepción Hechavarría
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African traditional medicine
Black people
Cuba
Medical treatment
Mental disorders
Older people
psychotic disorders
religion and medicine
Rites & ceremonies
spiritual therapies
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We investigated the utilisation of Afro-centric religious treatments for psychotic disorders among a sample of Cuban day hospital patients. Most (55%) had used such treatments and this practice was more common among older persons, although unassociated with any particular religious background or racial heritage. Persons who preferred Afro-centric religious practices to medical ones were more likely to be of African descent or to have received an Afro-centric religious ritual bath as treatment. A case is made for destigmatising Afro-centric religious treatments and for exploring treatment approaches that combine both medical and religious practices in order to achieve more holistic care.
ISSN:1367-4676
1469-9737
DOI:10.1080/13674676.2010.511643