Dissertation Research: Pluralism in South Indian Medical Treatments

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This project supports the dissertation research of an anthropology student from the City University of New York. The student will investigate the treatment of mental illness in south India by three different forms of therapy: Hindu temple healing, ayurvedic medicine, and biomedical psychiatry. Using structured as well as unstructured interviews with an experimental group of patients who change treatment and a control grou pof patients who use only one treatment, as well as observation of healing sessions, the project will compare the experience of patients who try one form of therapy to treat their illness to the experience of patients who try several forms. The hypothesis is that the multiple therapy approach will empower patients to develop their own prognosis which facilitates their recovery. This research is important because it will advance our understanding of how cultural and social factors shape the illness experience. Recent research has demonstrated that the recovery rate for schizophrenia in developing counties is better than the rate in the developed world. The knowledge to be gained from this project will help towards understanding the specific factors in the illness experience which facilitate healing, and this knowledge should be valuable in designing healing programs in our own country. In addition the project will advance our expertise about this important area of the world.