Bantjes Jason, Swartz Leslie, Cembi Sithembile
Stellenbosch University.
Alan J. Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health Stellenbosch University.
Transcult Psychiatry. 2018 Feb;55(1):73-93. doi: 10.1177/1363461517722065. Epub 2017 Aug 29.
Practitioners of traditional African medicine (traditional healers) are an important part of the health care system in South Africa, yet their voices are often absent from discussions about public health. In this context, we set out to investigate how a group of traditional healers in South Africa understand suicide and suicide prevention. In-depth, semistructured interviews were conducted with 6 traditional healers and analysed using thematic content analysis. The traditional healers report they are frequently consulted by suicidal individuals and they are confident about their ability to help people in a suicidal crisis. Findings suggest that traditional healers understand suicidal behaviour as a symptom of social disconnection and cultural discontinuity. Traditional healers report that suicidal individuals can be helped by reestablishing interpersonal connections, reconnecting to family and ancestors, and renewing their cultural identities through rituals. These findings suggest that there is some congruence between the way traditional healers understand suicide and the Western scientific and biomedical literature. Our findings raise important questions about cultural approaches to suicide research which are commonly premised on dualistic thinking that constructs culture as something distinct from Western biomedicine.
非洲传统医学从业者（传统治疗师）是南非医疗保健系统的重要组成部分，但在关于公共卫生的讨论中却常常听不到他们的声音。在此背景下，我们着手调查南非的一群传统治疗师如何理解自杀及自杀预防。我们对6名传统治疗师进行了深入的半结构化访谈，并采用主题内容分析法进行分析。传统治疗师报告称，有自杀倾向的人经常向他们咨询，而且他们对自己帮助处于自杀危机中的人的能力很有信心。研究结果表明，传统治疗师将自杀行为理解为社会脱节和文化断层的一种症状。传统治疗师报告称，通过重新建立人际关系、与家人和祖先重新建立联系以及通过仪式恢复其文化身份，可以帮助有自杀倾向的人。这些发现表明，传统治疗师理解自杀的方式与西方科学和生物医学文献之间存在一些一致性。我们的研究结果对自杀研究的文化方法提出了重要问题，这些方法通常基于二元思维，将文化构建为与西方生物医学截然不同的东西。
