La medicina folklórica un estudio sobre la salud mental

Resumen

A significant proportion of the population with mental disorders does not seek medical attention, making it important to study alternative forms of healing that are frequently used in Mexico. The present exploratory study with participant observation was carried out during August, 1989, at a temple located at the Xochimilco Delegation in Mexico City. This temple was selected because it has o long and important tradition in terms of folk medicine. We took part in 32 healing sessions and interviewed and equal number of persons waiting to seen by the Spiritual healers. We found that 54% of those seeking care could be considered to be suffering from a psychological disorder.