Efficacy of Quichua healers as psychiatric diagnosticians

Abstract

SummaryTraditional healers' practices are widespread around the world, yet their diagnostic skills have rarely been investigated. This exploratory study examines whetheryachactaitas(Quichua healers) in the Andes identify cases of psychiatric illness in their communities. For over 18 months, tenyachactaitasparticipated in the identification of 50 individuals with the condition known asllaqui.Medical and psychiatric evaluation indicated that most of those so diagnosed had a DSM–III–R mental disorder. None of the participants withllaquiwas considered healthy in biomedical or psychiatric terms. It is suggested thatyachactaitasmight indeed identify general psychiatric cases in their communities, and that this might be useful for screening purposes.