Traditional Indian Healing for Mental Illness
Indian Traditional Healing Improves Mental Health
By Alan Mozes Reuters Health July 5, 2002
Individuals in India who suffer from mental illness sometimes bypass
psychiatrists and prescriptions in favor of the "healing environment" of a local
religious temple. Now researchers have found that such non-Western care seems to
work, offering an equally effective means of improving mental health.
"For a long time these methods have been undermined," said study lead author Dr.
R. Raguram of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences in
Bangalore, India. "But in every community, in every culture, in every society
there are traditional resources for caring for the mentally ill."
Between June and August of 2000, Raguram and his colleagues assessed the effects
of a 60-year-old healing temple, situated near a village in southern India, on
the mental health of 31 individuals seeking help.
The patients were primarily male rural laborers, and all were Hindu. Only one
had ever received any kind of medical care previously, and none had ever been
seen by a psychiatrist.
Accompanied by a close family member, the patients moved into the temple, at no
cost, for several weeks. None of the patients were offered medication or Western
psychiatric services of any kind. The only form of caregiving offered was
encouragement by temple supervisors to participate in daily chores--such as
cleaning the facility and watering plants.
The researchers enlisted a psychiatrist to rate the patients' mental health on
the first and last days of their stay.
The investigators found that, on average, the patients had experienced some form
of mental illness for more than one year before entering the temple.
Twenty-three patients were diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Six others had
delusional disorders, while two were found to have bipolar disorders.
In the July issue of the British Medical Journal, Raguram and his team report
that at the conclusion of their stay the mental health ratings of the patients
improved by almost 20%. This result was equivalent, they noted, to what is
typically seen among patients given the latest medications in Western healthcare
settings.
Both patients and their families expressed satisfaction with the results of
their stay. In particular, families of 22 patients said they had improved, while
those of three others said they had recovered completely.
The authors stress that it is difficult to generalize the findings, since
temples of this sort do not all operate in the same manner. However, they
conclude that the setting itself appears to have helped improve the mental
health of the patients.
Raguram and his colleagues note that the temple is legendary in the area--not
for any particular therapy offered, but for the benefit attributed to the
experience of living within its confines. And they suggest that this widespread
cultural belief in the power of the temple to heal, coupled with a supportive
and comforting environment, could be behind the apparent healing effects of a
stay in the temple.
In an interview with Reuters Health, Raguram expressed hope that his findings
will broaden appreciation for the role traditional culture can play in
developing countries--particularly as a way around the high costs that often
block access to Western-type care.
"For mental healthcare, even in developed countries, the bottom line is
affordability of care," said Raguram. "And it's also about the de-stigmatization
of mental illness. So a person who's chronically mentally ill might be much more
at ease seeking free care from a source which is in congruence with their own
belief systems."
SOURCE: British Medical Journal 2002;325:38-40.
Source:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=594&ncid=751&e=4&u=/nm/20020705/hl_nm/indian_mental_dc_1
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Mental Health: Gentle Refuge for Patients in India
By JOHN O'NEIL New York Times July 9, 2002
In rural India, treatment for mental illness is more likely to come in a
"healing temple" than in a clinic or hospital.
In a study published on Saturday in The British Medical Journal, a psychiatrist
who evaluated a small group of patients at such a temple reported finding signs
of significant improvement. The study, led by Dr. R. Raguram of India's National
Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, involved a temple in a village
built 60 years ago on the gravesite of a man thought to have healing powers.
As in most other healing temples in India, no specific ceremonies are offered
for a cure. Patients are accepted without charge, and each is usually
accompanied by a relative who deals with the patient's daily needs. The patients
are encouraged to attend morning prayers and take part in the temple's routines.
While many temples use restraints for agitated patients, this one does not, the
article said.
In the study, the psychiatrist from the institute diagnosed paranoid
schizophrenia in 23 patients, delusional disorders in 6 and manic episodes in 2.
When the patients left after an average stay of five weeks, their symptoms as
measured on a standard psychiatric ranking had dropped by an average of 20
percent.
The article says that "the cultural power of residency in the temple, known for
its healing potency, may have played a part" in the change. But it said that
"the supportive, non-threatening and reassuring setting" may also have
contributed to the improvements. "In effect," the article concluded, "the temple
provides the refuge suggested by the term asylum in its most positive sense."
Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/09/health/psychology/09MENT.html
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September 10 - 13, 2002
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