Spiritual Explanatory Models of Mental Illness in West Nile, Uganda

Abstract

Integrating indigenous cultural knowledge into conceptualizing mental illness offers highly valuable insights to better contextualize mental health. The meaning given to symptoms determines what is abnormal and requiring treatment. In Uganda, the formal health care system is neither the only nor the most widespread treatment provider. Help is often sought from traditional and religious healers, too. Despite numerous calls for cooperation between the healing systems, this has translated into reality only to a very limited degree. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into local explanatory models of mental illness, to gain an understanding of the different patients’ needs, and to develop a more comprehensive system of care. We used an ethnographic investigation approach, which allowed for a more holistic view of the research field. This was geographically delimited to the West Nile subregion in Northern Uganda. We conducted a total of 56 semistructured interviews with traditional healers ( n = 5), Christian religious healers ( n = 3), psychiatric patients ( n = 16), their attendants ( n = 16), and community members ( n = 16). In addition, we used the method of participant observation. The data collected were analyzed using Qualitative Content Analysis and Grounded Theory methodology. For the purpose of this article, we exclusively extracted the spiritual explanatory models. These were spirit possession and curse. Both were traditional concepts with a religious reinterpretation involving the action of spirits.