Dissertation Research: Belief Systems, Psychological Affliction, and Traditional Treatment of Mental Illness among Maya Indians of Highland Chiapas, Mexico

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This project will examine how the Tzeltal and Tzotzil Maya experience, diagnose and treat mental disorders. A period of 24 months will be spent collecting data that will address interrelated concerns within three domains: (1) traditional Maya ethnopsychiatry, (2) the relationship of the Maya ethnopsychiatric model to the Western biomedical psychiatric model, and (3) medical pluralism and hierarchy of resort of treatment of mental disorders. An ethnoepidemiology survey will be central to the project. This survey will establish the prevalence and cultural definition of the mental conditions under study, form the basis for screening of cases in subsequent stages of the research, and for recruitment of self-identified cases of recognized folk disorders. Focus on the experiences of the sufferers of mental disorders has yet to be undertaken in this region and will provide valuable information on the afflictions, the system of ethnomedical practice, the beliefs which direct treatment choice, the dynamic relation between belief and behavior, and the relation between the indigenous and biomedical systems. The use of the Western psychiatric assessment instruments (e.g., Computerized Diagnostic Interview Schedule) will provide comparative information on cultural variation in psychological disorders. Importantly, knowledged gained about Maya disorders and their definition and treatment will allow public health officials to more effectively design treatment strategies for the Maya.