Prescientific Psychiatry in the Urban Setting

Health care delivery can best be accomplished when the health professional understands the cultural milieu of the community in which the patients live. The author describes the convictions and practices found in an inner city area of Los Angeles, including a belief in ghosts and spirits and a reliance on indigenous practitioners and counselors. The psychiatrist should be aware of the therapeutic potential of these convictions and practices and should understand that healing is a multidimensional phenomenon: an exchange of ideas among indigenous practitioners, psychiatrists, and other medical helpers may help decrease the potential harm to the patient and increase our understanding of mental illness.