There’s an extraordinary article that was published in the 28 December issue of the New York Times: “A Doctor in Iraq, Watching a Faith Healer at Work” http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/28/health/28cases.html?_r=2
It is written by Dr. Amir A. Afkhami, an assistant professor of psychiatry and global health at George Washington University. Here is an extract describing how the faith healer, Mullah Eskandar, works: “The first patient to enter his reception room was a young woman in red flowing garb typical of the rural inhabitants of eastern Kurdistan…The mother explained that the day her daughter became engaged to a relative, she had developed fainting fits, nightmares, foul moods and an inability to walk… She continued to faint at the talk of marriage. “Mullah Eskandar…explained that the young woman was possessed by a jinn, one of the race of evil spirits that the Koran blames for sowing mischief and illness in the world — in this case, spreading discord in the young woman’s family by disrupting her marriage. To banish the jinn, Mullah Eskandar prescribed a regimen of prayers, daily bathing and rosewater perfume. And he counseled the patient on the responsibilities of a daughter to marry and the happiness that awaited her once she had a family of her own.” Nowhere in the article is there a glimmer of a suggestion that the young woman’s symptoms may just possibly relate to her being reluctantly forced into a marriage with a relative. Instead Dr Afkhami applauds the techniques used to quieten her fears: “Mullah Eskandar’s example shows us that psychiatric progress cannot be achieved by cutting-edge science alone — it can be attained only when patient-centered care leads the way.” Astonishing – and even more astonishing that such an article could be written by “the author of the State Department’s Iraq Mental Health Initiative”. Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London [email protected] http://www.esterson.org --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=7540 or send a blank email to leave-7540-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
