Abstract
Objective: We investigated the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among visitors to Faith Healers (FHs) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We also studied the sociodemographic profiles for these visitors, in addition to their past psychiatric history, reason(s) for seeking FH help, and past and current treatment experience with FHs. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among the visitors (n=321) to a number of faith healing settings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia using a specially designed questionnaire and validated Arabic version of The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Results: Most of the participants were young adults (35.1±10.8 years) and males with intermediate and secondary levels of education who had not sought medical help prior to their visits. A high proportion of the FH visitors have diagnosable mental illnesses. Depressive and anxiety disorders were the most prevalent among the study participants; few visitors were affected by psychotic or bipolar disorders. Conclusions: The present study provides insight for understanding the type of patients with psychiatric disorders who visit Faith Healers.(FHs). The study highlights the tendency of psychiatric patients in Saudi Arabia to visit FHs, which could reflect the importance of further studies to clarify the impact of FHs on the management of those patients.
Highlights
Psychiatric disorders are considered among the 20 most disabling conditions worldwide
One of the most common psychiatric disorders is unipolar major depression, which is projected to be the first leading cause of disease burden in 2030.1 the success rates for the treatment of many common psychiatric disorders are equal or exceed the success rates for many other medical disorders,[2] accessing psychiatric services across the globe is still limited by a severe stigma that deters patients with psychiatric illnesses from seeking professional help
The questionnaire assessed the reason for the current visit to the Faith Healers (FHs), whether medical help sought, and the types of faith healing interventions used for the current complaint
Summary
Psychiatric disorders are considered among the 20 most disabling conditions worldwide. Only 41% of adult Americans who had a psychiatric disorder in 2012 received mental health services.[3] In developing countries, the majority of patients with psychiatric disorders counsult traditional healers before seeking medical help.[4]. These practices include reading specific verses from the Holy Quran and sayings by Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him).[7] In spite of the advances in the mental health services in Saudi Arabia,[8] a considerable number of patients with psychiatric illnesses still consult FHs before seeing mental health professionals.[9]
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