Joining psychiatric care and faith healing in a prayer camp in Ghana: randomised trial.

Journal: The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science

Volume: 212

Issue: 1

Year of Publication: 2019

Affiliated Institutions:  Department of Psychiatry,University of Ghana,School of Medicine and Dentistry,Accra,Ghana. management consultant,Accra,Ghana. Harvard Medical School,Boston,Massachusetts,USA, andInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience,King's College London,UK. Ghana Health Service,Accra,Ghana. Department of Psychiatry,Yale University,New Haven,Connecticut,USA.

Abstract summary 

Care of people with serious mental illness in prayer camps in low-income countries generates human rights concerns and ethical challenges for outcome researchers. Aims To ethically evaluate joining traditional faith healing with psychiatric care including medications (Clinical trials.gov identifier NCT02593734).Residents of a Ghana prayer camp were randomly assigned to receive either indicated medication for schizophrenia or mood disorders along with usual prayer camp activities (prayers, chain restraints and fasting) (n = 71); or the prayer camp activities alone (n = 68). Masked psychologists assessed Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) outcomes at 2, 4 and 6 weeks. Researchers discouraged use of chaining, but chaining decisions remained under the control of prayer camp staff.Total BPRS symptoms were significantly lower in the experimental group (P = 0.003, effect size -0.48). There was no significant difference in days in chains.Joining psychiatric and prayer camp care brought symptom benefits but, in the short-run, did not significantly reduce days spent in chains. Declaration of interest None.

Authors & Co-authors:  Ofori-Atta A A Attafuah J J Jack H H Baning F F Rosenheck R R

Study Outcome 

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Statistics
Citations : 
Authors :  6
Identifiers
Doi : 10.1192/bjp.2017.12
SSN : 1472-1465
Study Population
Male,Female
Mesh Terms
Adult
Other Terms
Study Design
Case Control Trial,Cross Sectional Study
Study Approach
Country of Study
Ghana
Publication Country
England