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Traditional Healers and Mental Health in Nepal: A Scoping Review

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Abstract

Despite extensive ethnographic and qualitative research on traditional healers in Nepal, the role of traditional healers in relation to mental health has not been synthesized. We focused on the following clinically based research question, “What are the processes by which Nepali traditional healers address mental well-being?” We adopted a scoping review methodology to maximize the available literature base and conducted a modified thematic analysis rooted in grounded theory, ethnography, and phenomenology. We searched five databases using terms related to traditional healers and mental health. We contacted key authors and reviewed references for additional literature. Our scoping review yielded 86 eligible studies, 65 of which relied solely on classical qualitative study designs. The reviewed literature suggests that traditional healers use a wide range of interventions that utilize magico-religious explanatory models to invoke symbolic transference, manipulation of local illness narratives, roles, and relationships, cognitive restructuring, meaning-making, and catharsis. Traditional healers’ perceived impact appears greatest for mild to moderate forms of psychological distress. However, the methodological and sample heterogeneity preclude uniform conclusions about traditional healing. Further research should employ methods which are both empirically sound and culturally adapted to explore the role of traditional healers in mental health.

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Acknowledgements

We thank three anonymous reviewers for their expertise, time, and energy which strongly shaped earlier drafts of the manuscript.

Funding

The authors received no specific funding for this work. The first author (Tony V Pham) was supported by a VECD Global Health Fellowship, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Fogarty International Center (FIC) of the NIH (D43 TW009337). The senior author (Brandon A. Kohrt) was supported by the NIH (K01MH104310).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, 2301 Erwin Road, Durham, NC, 27701, USA

    Tony V Pham, Lauren Franz & Brandon A. Kohrt

  2. Duke Global Health Institute, Durham, NC, USA

    Tony V Pham, Bonnie N. Kaiser, Lauren Franz & Brandon A. Kohrt

  3. Transcultural Psychosocial Organization Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal

    Rishav Koirala, Sujen Man Maharjan & Brandon A. Kohrt

  4. Department of Anthropology and Global Health Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Bonnie N. Kaiser

  5. University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Rishav Koirala

  6. Brain and Neuroscience Center Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal

    Rishav Koirala

  7. Utrecht University, Utrecth, The Netherlands

    Nawaraj Upadhaya

  8. Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Lauren Franz

  9. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington, Washington, DC, USA

    Brandon A. Kohrt

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Pham, T.V., Kaiser, B.N., Koirala, R. et al. Traditional Healers and Mental Health in Nepal: A Scoping Review. Cult Med Psychiatry 45, 97–140 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11013-020-09676-4

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