Perceptions of mental disorders by traditional health practitioners in Mali: the case of the Bamako District

Abstract

The interpretative models of mental disorders by traditional health practitioners in the District of Bamako have not only made it possible to name the disorders and to enumerate their etiological referents. The objective of this study was to analyze traditional interpretations of mental disorders and their etiological referents by traditional health practitioners in the District of Bamako.

The survey was carried out between September 1^rst and 30, 2017 among 15 traditional health practitioners in the District of Bamako. Interviews using a questionnaire and note-taking allowed data to be collected. Aggression by spirits, drug addiction, bad luck, supernatural illnesses, different forms of madness were the names of mental disorders. The aetiological referents were identified, favor to procedures such as divination, questioning, inspection and the behavior of the patient. In addition to the causes of magico-religious origin, complications of organic conditions, child abuse and hereditary factors have also been reported.

An in-depth study of diagnostic procedures would allow a better understanding of the traditional psychopathological approach to mental disorders in the district of Bamako.