TRADITIONAL HEALTH PRACTICES AMONG MUSLIM PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS IN LAHORE

Abstract

Pakistan, a South Asian country with a population of 240 million, has Islam as the predominant religion. In Pakistan, mental illnesses are often stigmatized and attributed to supernatural causes. This study aims to investigate the role of indigenous health practices among psychiatric patients. The sample consists of psychiatric patients of both sexes. According to self-reported case history interviews, patients pursued various traditional curative methods, including Naturopathy (Tibb), Homeopathy, Sorcery and Islamic Faith Healing, before consulting licensed psychiatrists. Patients with different psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, personality disorders, mood disorders and somatoform disorders, engaged in various traditional curing practices. Notably, more men than women utilized these practices, and the frequency of visits to traditional healers was higher among men. The greater reliance on multiple healing practices among men may be linked to gender-based differences in mobility and societal taboos surrounding women's consultation of male traditional healers.