The use of complementary and alternative medicine in psychiatric care in Kanye and Gaborone, Botswana

Abstract

The use of Complementary and Alternative medicine (CAM) in the treatment of psychiatric disorders has increased tremendously throughout the world in the past few decades. Patients use a wide range of CAM therapies mainly as complementary to conventional mental therapies rather than as an alternative. Although no empirical work on the use of CAM in psychiatric care in Botswana was found, anecdotal observations by the researcher during his clinical experience and interviews with some CAM practitioners revealed that the use of CAM in psychiatric care was prevalent in the country. The purpose of this study is to explore and describe the use of CAM in Kanye and Gaborone, Botswana. Concepts from the Sunrise Model, level one of Leniniger’s Cultural Care Theory will be used to guide the study. The study employs an explorative-descriptive design. A semi- structured interview guide will be used to collect data. Informants will be psychiatric patients, CAM practitioners and providers of conventional mental health services. Purposive and snowball techniques will be used to identify possible participants. Descriptive statistics will be used to analyze demographic data while content analysis will be used to analyze the main study questions. The researcher hopes that findings of the study will assist mental health providers to come up with strategies that can be used to integrate CAM in the mental health services of the country.