Material World: Socialism Seeks Well-being For All

ConclusionsDespite the limitations of the published literature, it seems reasonable to conclude that many people, especially those with less severe complaints and positive expectations, derive subjective benefit from attending their chosen traditional or spiritual healers. Value seems to exist in attending a traditional healer for those who choose to do so and who find the process meaningful. This benefit might occur without a concomitant improvement in symptoms. The effective component of healing is often unclear, although intensive regular social interventions generally achieve superior outcomes to brief single interventions. That said, little evidence is available to suggest that traditional healers are effective in changing the course of major psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Additionally, harms could be associated with traditional healing, which we have not reviewed here. For patients who have cultural and spiritual beliefs not in line with those of conventional psychiatry, the possibility exists for more holistic care, and potential synergies, if collaboration between healing systems is facilitated. This topic should be an area of active research.

indigenous people – despite accounting for about 4% of the population – make up more than half of the children in the child welfare system, nearly a quarter of inmates in federal prisons and a disproportionately high number of women who are missing or murdered.