Traditional Healing – At What Cost ?: A Case Report from Rural India

ABSTRACT

In rural parts of India still the “magico-religious beliefs” regarding the occurrence of the psychiatric disordersand “magico-religious treatments” of the psychiatric disorders often seen and prevail. Such beliefs andtreatments many times lead to physical as well as psychological trauma to an individual suffering from anypsychiatric disorder and may lead to delay in seeking an appropriate professional help in time. The presentcase report attempts to depict what kind of physical and psychological trauma a person with psychiatricdisorder suffered at the hands of faith healer in absence of lack of awareness about the psychiatric disordersamong family members and other villagers.