RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: The Yoruba are an ethnic group in southern Nigeria. It is said that their world view centers around a continuous battle between forces of good and evil. Adverse events such as illness are due to the malevolence of enemies, using metaphysical means. Remedy often involves corrective metaphysical intervention, either exclusively or in addition to other methods, such as 'western Medicine'. This 'rule' is said to fit mental illness more than any other type of illness, although there is a lack of empirical data on the subject. This study is aimed at identifying elements of a Yoruba world view, and factors relevant to the perception and treatment of psychotic illness. METHOD: 500 Yorubas in Lagos were randomly sampled (with a questionnaire), and 100 'home video' films were analyzed. Data were analyzed for: elements of world view; elements that pertain to illness in general; elements that pertain to psychotic illness; how such illness is to be treated. RESULTS: The world view has a significant influence on perception of psychotic illness. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to understand a people's world view in order to understand (and influence) attitudes towards psychotic illness in themselves and other people.
Asunto(s)
Actitud Frente a la Salud/etnología , Cultura , Trastornos Mentales/etnología , Trastornos Mentales/psicología , Relaciones Metafisicas Mente-Cuerpo , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Femenino , Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Nigeria/etnología , Percepción , Psicometría/métodos , Factores Socioeconómicos , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Nigeria, like other African countries, is short of personnel trained in mental healthcare. Efforts to tackle the problem have often focused on increasing the numbers of psychiatrists and nurses in the field. These efforts, over the past 20 years, have not appeared to have greatly improved service delivery at the grass roots. Most of the specialist centres where such highly trained personnel work are in urban areas and for a large part of the population access to them is limited by distance and cost.
RESUMEN
Many patients in Nigeria consult traditional healers before, or in parallel with, modern psychiatric services. Part of the attraction of traditional medicine for the populace, apart from its lower cost and easier accessibility, may lie in its 'cultural' explanatory concepts of the nature and course of mental disorder.