Role of culture and religious beliefs on non-medical help-seeking behavior among patients with chronic mental illnesses (CMIs) in Türkiye.

BACKGROUND

Cultural beliefs significantly shape societal attitudes toward mental illness, and these social attitudes profoundly impact help-seeking behaviors. Therefore, it is important to focus on understanding and addressing these social behaviors.

AIM

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of chronic mental illness interpretations based on culture and religious beliefs on non-medical help-seeking behaviors among patients in Türkiye.

METHODS

The study was conducted from September to October 2023 using an inductive qualitative approach. In-depth face-to-face interviews were carried out with individuals diagnosed with chronic mental illness and their relatives, registered in a state-owned Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) in Türkiye. Using purposive sampling, 13 individuals who met the criteria were interviewed. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes.

RESULTS

Three main themes and eight sub-themes were identified, including the reasons for seeking non-medical help (psychological challenges, subjective norms, physical requirements), factors contributing to seeking non-medical help (predisposing factors, enabling factors, and myths), and reflections on the benefits of non-medical practices (perceived physical benefits, perceived psychological benefits).

CONCLUSIONS

It was concluded that individuals with chronic mental illness and their relatives living in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Türkiye engaged in non-medical help-seeking behaviors and mostly turned to traditional religious practices. Culture and religious beliefs emerged as primary factors leading patients to seek non-medical treatment approaches. Consequently, there is a perceived need to explore non-medical alternative methods across various mental health settings and with diverse samples in future research endeavors.