Perceptions of mental illness in Ethiopia: a profile of attitudes, beliefs and practices among community members, healthcare workers and traditional healers

This study explores perceptions of mental illness in a sample of Ethiopian community members, healthcare workers and traditional healers. Specifically, the attitudes, beliefs and practices associated with the symptoms, causes and treatment of mental illness were investigated. A total of 115 participants were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire to explore their perceptions of depression, anxiety and psychosis. Qualitative analysis of the interview responses indicated a range of beliefs about the recognition and etiology of mental illness. Nine themes were identified in response to the questions how do you identify and what causes mental illness: Psychocultural appropriateness, Religious/spiritual, Social difficulty, Behavioral disturbance, Cognitive-emotional impairment, Disaster and economic deprivation, Adaptive functioning, Substance abuse and Physical/medical. The most frequent response for how to identify depression and anxiety was negative emotions, while the most frequent answer for recognizing psychosis was bizarre or unusual behavior. Both modern and traditional treatments were cited as helpful, depending on the disorder. Implications for clinical assessment and policy planning are discussed.