Saglio-Yatzimirsky Marie Caroline, Sébastia Brigitte
a EHESS , CEIAS-Center for South Asian Studies , Paris , France ; INALCO , Department of South Asian Studies , Paris , France.
Anthropol Med. 2015;22(2):127-37. doi: 10.1080/13648470.2014.967336. Epub 2014 Oct 30.
Well known for its powerful deity who heals the mentally ill, the village of Gunaseelam illustrates an interesting example of mental healthcare combining rituals (tīrttam) and medication (tablets). After the Ervadi tragedy, the government forbade the confinement and chaining of the mentally ill in unlicensed places such as in religious institutions as contrary to human rights, so a clinic was established to treat patients. How is the intrusion of psychiatry into the temple and its association with the rituals perceived by priests and psychiatrists, and by patients and caregivers? What are the implications that this therapeutic combination has for the quality of life of patients and caregivers and for the life of the village and the temple? This article attempts to explore these questions through the particular case of Gunaseelam and offers some ways to develop mental healthcare practices that are more acceptable to the people, notably those people from lower social backgrounds.
古纳塞拉姆村以其能治愈精神疾病的强大神灵而闻名，它展现了一个将仪式（tīrttam）与药物治疗（药片）相结合的精神卫生保健的有趣例子。埃尔瓦迪悲剧发生后，政府禁止在宗教机构等无执照场所监禁和束缚精神病人，因为这有违人权，于是设立了一家诊所来治疗患者。牧师、精神科医生、患者及其照料者如何看待精神病学介入寺庙以及它与仪式的关联？这种治疗组合对患者及其照料者的生活质量以及村庄和寺庙的生活有何影响？本文试图通过古纳塞拉姆村的具体案例来探讨这些问题，并提供一些方法来发展更易为人们所接受的精神卫生保健实践，尤其是那些来自社会底层的人群。
