Uses and Limitations of Ethnotherapy

It has been observed that treatment by alternate practitioners in mental health have caused problems as well as beneficial effects. This article aims to assess the benefits and adverse effects of ethnotherapeutic treatment; to carry out a substantive literature search into the nature and outcomes of ethnotherapeutic practices in Pakistan; to identify those conditions in which ethnotherapeutic practices are perceived to be beneficial by Western-oriented practitioners within the ethnic catchments provided by the city of Karachi; to promote further understanding of potential beneficial uses of such techniques by proponents of Western psychiatric medicine; to establish a database for behavioral change strategies involving future psychiatrists and ethnotherapists, which will safeguard against the use of ethnotherapeutic methods in circumstances where patients are likely to be harmed; to implement and monitor the outcomes of a consensual educational strategy involving attitudes, perceptions, and resultant practices of a selected group of ethnotherapists practicing in the city of Karachi. Twelve psychiatrists and twelve ethnotherapists were selected through random sampling and their practices were observed. A questionnaire was administered and interviews were conducted. A number of patients who were in the care of both types of therapists were also interviewed. The results demonstrate that ethnotherapeutic practice is beneficial in minor depression, anxiety, and psychosomatic disorders, while it is detrimental in psychosis and organic brain conditions.