Diagnosis and distress in Navajo healing.
Thomas J Csordas, Michael J Storck, Milton Strauss
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease August 1, 2008 DOI: 10.1097/nmd.0b013e3181812c68 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 84 |
| Population | Navajo patients who consulted traditional Navajo ceremonies, Native American Church prayer meetings, or Navajo Christian faith healing |
| Measures | Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) |
| Topics | Depression Mescaline |
| Keywords | Humans Substance-related disorders Alcoholism Medicine, traditional Faith healing Cross-sectional studies Ceremonial behavior Religion and psychology Mental disorders Anxiety disorders Stress disorders, post-traumatic Somatoform disorders Comorbidity Christianity Adolescent Adult Middle aged Indians, north american Southwestern united states Female |
| Key findings | The authors report diagnostic results from the SCID for 84 Navajo patients and compare research diagnoses with clinical diagnoses, healers' diagnoses, and patients' own understandings of their distress. They argue that a cultural approach contributes to basic science and clinical understandings of affliction and to assessing the advantages and limitations of DSM categories as descriptors of distress and disorder. |
Abstract
In contemporary Navajo society, traditional Navajo ceremonies, Native American Church prayer meetings, and Navajo Christian faith healing are all highly sought-after resources in the everyday pursuit of health and well-being. What is the nature of affliction among patients who turn to such forms of religious healing? Are these patients typically afflicted with psychiatric disorder? In this article we discuss 84 Navajo patients who participated in the Navajo Healing Project during a period in which they consulted one of these forms of healing. We present diagnostic results obtained from the Structured Clinical Interview for DSMIV (SCID) administered to these patients. We then present an ethnographically augmented analysis comparing the research diagnosis obtained via the SCID with a clinical diagnosis, with the diagnosis given by religious healers, and with the understanding of their own distress on the part of patients. These analyses demonstrate how a cultural approach contributes to the basic science and clinical understandings of affliction as well as to discussion of the advantages and limitations of DSM categories as descriptors of distress and disorder.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on mescaline, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychedelics and Mental Health: A Population Study Adult population in the United States | 2013 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 130,152 |
| Lifetime experience with (classic) psychedelics predicts pro-environmental behavior through an increase in nature relatedness General population online sample | 2017 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 1,487 |
| Voice of the Psychonauts: Coping, Life Purpose, and Spirituality in Psychedelic Drug Users Psychedelic drug users, other drug users, and drug nonusers | 2011 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 667 |
| Naturalistic Use of Mescaline Is Associated with Self-Reported Psychiatric Improvements and Enduring Positive Life Changes. Adults reporting use of mescaline in naturalistic settings | 2021 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 452 |
| Acute Adverse Reactions to Lsd in Clinical and Experimental use in the United Kingdom Subjects in LSD or mescaline sessions | 1971 | Survey | n = 5,000 |