Knowledge, Practice and Attitudes towards the Use of Alternative Medicine in Treating Mental Disorders in Qatar

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the practice, knowledge, and attitude towards the use of alternative medicine in the treatment of mental disorders in Qatar. The researcher used the descriptive approach on a sample of 400 male and female respondents, Qataris and non-Qataris, who responded to a scale of knowledge, practice, and psychological attitudes toward using alternative medicine in treating mental illnesses, as well as a scale of reasons for resorting to alternative medicine. The findings revealed a high level of knowledge and practice towards using alternative medicine in treating mental illnesses. However, the mean score on the attitude scale was 2.95, indicating a lack of positive attitude towards the use of alternative medicine in treating mental illnesses. The results also revealed no statistically significant differences according to gender and educational level in knowledge, practice, and attitudes toward alternative medicine. The reasons for resorting to alternative medicine are the role of beliefs, cultural and religious standards, and social customs.