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Attributions for Admission To Zomba Mental Hospital: Implications for the Development of Mental Health Services in Malawi

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  • Malcolm Maclachlan
  • Tony Nyirenda
  • Clifford Nyando

Abstract

Within Malawi, as in many other African countries, a variety of traditional and modern attributions exist regarding the cause of a person's mental disturbance, or their admission to a 'mental' hospital. It is argued that a good mental health service should consider the beliefs of the patients it seeks to serve. Consequently we studied 103 consecutive admissions to Zomba Mental Hospital in order to find out how patients explained their own admission to the hospital. Traditional attributions were the most common, followed by medical and then psychological attributions. Some patients explained their admission to the hospital by combining traditional, medical or psychological ideas. Content analysis of traditional attributions identified examples of "Tropical Tolerance" and the ''Pull Down" phenomenon. The possible interactive nature of traditional, medical and psycho logical processes is discussed and it is suggested that traditional healers should be incorporated into 'modern' Malawian mental health services.

Suggested Citation

  • Malcolm Maclachlan & Tony Nyirenda & Clifford Nyando, 1995. "Attributions for Admission To Zomba Mental Hospital: Implications for the Development of Mental Health Services in Malawi," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 41(2), pages 79-87, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:41:y:1995:i:2:p:79-87
    DOI: 10.1177/002076409504100201
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Elizabeth Elliot & Marian Pitts & John Mcmaster, 1992. "Nurses' Views of Parasuicide in a Developing Country," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 38(4), pages 273-279, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Stuart C. Carr, 1996. "Social Psychology in Malawi: Historical or Developmental?," Psychology and Developing Societies, , vol. 8(2), pages 177-197, September.
    2. Teuton, Joanna & Dowrick, Christopher & Bentall, Richard P., 2007. "How healers manage the pluralistic healing context: The perspective of indigenous, religious and allopathic healers in relation to psychosis in Uganda," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(6), pages 1260-1273, September.
    3. Jerome Wright & Stephanie Common & Felix Kauye & Chikayiko Chiwandira, 2014. "Integrating community mental health within primary care in southern Malawi: A pilot educational intervention to enhance the role of health surveillance assistants," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 60(2), pages 155-161, March.

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