ArticleBJPsych open2021
Holy water and biomedicine: a descriptive study of active collaboration between religious traditional healers and biomedical psychiatry in Ethiopia.
Article in BJPsych open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed.
- From co-existence to collaboration: The need to move towards an inclusive (pluricultural) scabies management approach in Debre Elias (Ethiopia).PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Article
- Applying cultural psychiatry to non-pharmacological interventions.BJPsych open · 2026Article
- Understanding the perspective of traditional healers on their role within the Malawian healthcare system: a qualitative study in Thyolo District.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2026Article
- Exploring the lived experiences and coping strategies of mental health caregivers in Ethiopia: implications for supportive interventions.International journal of mental health systems · 2026Article
- Stakeholder Consensus on Strategies for Collaboration Between Traditional and Biomedical Mental Health Services in Post-Conflict Tigray, Ethiopia.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Article
- Experiences and perspectives on traditional and faith healers' involvement in the care of people with severe mental health conditions in ethiopia: a scoping review.International journal of mental health systems · 2025Review
- Pathway to care and time to treatment among patients attending psychiatry service at Dilla, Ethiopia, a cross-sectional study.PLOS mental health · 2025Article
- Article
- Collaboration between traditional health practitioners and biomedical health practitioners: Scoping review.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2024Article
- "Trust in God, but tie your donkey": Holy water priest healers' views on collaboration with biomedical mental health services in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Transcultural psychiatry · 2024Article
- 'We are all working toward one goal. We want people to become well': A visual exploration of what promotes successful collaboration between community mental health workers and healers in Ghana.Transcultural psychiatry · 2024Article
- "Blood is thicker than water" - experiences and perspectives of family caregivers of people living with severe mental illness at Holy Water traditional healing sites, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- Article
- Epilepsy Treatment Outcome and Its Predictors Among Children Who Had Chronic Follow Up at Dessie Comprehensive Specialized Hospital.Patient related outcome measures · 2024Article
- Suicidal behavior and associated factors among holy water users at Northwest, Ethiopia, 2023: an institution based cross-sectional study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- Reimagining global mental health in Africa.BMJ global health · 2023Review
- Acceptability of integrating traditional tuberculosis care with modern healthcare services in the Amhara Regional State of Northwest Ethiopia: A qualitative study.Preventive medicine reports · 2023Article
- Treatment-seeking behavior and barriers to mental health service utilization for depressive symptoms and hazardous drinking: The role of religious and traditional healers in mental healthcare of Northwest Ethiopia.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2023Article
- Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundReligious and traditional healers remain the main providers of mental healthcare in much of Africa. Collaboration between biomedical and traditional treatment modalities is an underutilised approach, with potential to scale up mental healthcare.
aimsTo report the process and feasibility of establishing a collaboration between religious healers and psychiatrists in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. To gain insight into the collaboration through studies of patient demographics, help-seeking patterns, nature of illness and receptivity of the project.
methodThis case study describes the process and challenges in establishing a collaborative psychiatric clinic for patients who are simultaneously receiving treatment with holy water, including an examination of basic clinical records of 1888 patients over a 7-year period.
resultsThe collaboration is feasible and has been successfully implemented for 8 years. A majority (54%) of the clinic's patients were seeing biomedical services for the first time. Patients were brought in largely by families (54%); 26% were referred directly by priest healers. Most patients had severe mental illness, including schizophrenia (40%), substance misuse (24%) and mood disorders (30%). A vast majority (92.2%) of patients reported comfort in receiving treatment with holy water and prayers simultaneously with medication, and 73.6% believed their illness was caused by evil spirit possession.
conclusionsA cross-system collaborative model is a feasible and potentially valuable model to address biomedical resource limitations. Provider collaboration and mutual learning are ultimately beneficial to patients with severe mental illness. Open-minded acceptance of cultural benefits and strengths of traditional healing is a prerequisite. Further study on outcomes and implementation are warranted.
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