Entangled pathways: navigating mental healthcare dynamics in Abeokuta

Mental healthcare among the Yoruba in Abeokuta, Nigeria, extends beyond hospitals to encompass a range of traditional and faith-based practices. This study examines the various forms of mental healthcare available in Abeokuta, the motivations behind their use, and how engagement with multiple treatment systems shapes recovery experiences. Drawing on nine months of ethnographic fieldwork across purposively selected biomedical, Ibile (traditional), and Aladura (faith-based) mental health facilities, the study employed standard ethnographic methods (interview, observations, and discussion) to gather qualitative data. Participants included psychiatric doctors, nurses, therapists, social workers, traditional healers, faith-based practitioners, caregivers, and care recipients. Findings highlight the integral role of a "multiple care" approach. This approach, which combines physical, social, spiritual, and moral dimensions, reflects a holistic understanding of mental healthcare. By triangulating data from care providers, caregivers, and service users across the selected traditions of care, the study demonstrates that biomedical hospitals alone cannot address the complex needs of mental health patients. Instead, people intentionally seek multiple care options, driven by their interpretations of mental illness and the psychological relief and hope these alternatives provide—relief often lacking in biomedical treatments. These findings advance discussions on medical pluralism and syncretism, emphasising that no single system of care can fully encapsulate the complexities of mental healthcare in Abeokuta.