Conceptualizing psychosis in Uganda: the perspective of indigenous and religious healers

A qualitative study, investigating the representations and explanatory models of ;madness' held by indigenous and religious healers, was undertaken in urban Uganda. Case vignettes of individuals with a diagnosis of a psychotic disorder were discussed by the healers in terms of phenomenology, causality, intervention and outcome. Indigenous healers primarily understood ;madness' as spiritual or physiological, whereas religious healers also held psychological models. Healers' understandings of ;madness' are inextricably linked with the historical and sociopolitical context and may be useful to individuals with psychotic experiences, however, it is likely that these models are dynamic and continually changing.