Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted A narrative exploration of people’s experiences of mental ill-health and accessing mental health services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia(2023) Alattar, Nada; Evans, Catrin; Stickley, Theodore; Felton, AnneIn the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), there has been a rise in the number of people experiencing mental health difficulties, however, it is notable that people are reluctant to seek professional help. Whilst there may be cultural, economic, social, legal, and policy barriers, it is unclear to what extent people do not access services because of the stigma associated with the label of a mental illness. Mental ill-health presents a global challenge, complicated by the fact that cultural beliefs and behaviours associated with mental ill-health can come between people experiencing difficulties and their receiving appropriate treatment. Furthermore, there is little qualitative research which gives voice to people’s experiences of being diagnosed and receiving treatment from services. In respect to Saudi culture, the existing research indicates that there is often a strong stigma associated with people with mental health difficulties and especially with those who seek help at psychiatric institutions. Furthermore, “courtesy stigma” is experienced within families of those affected and whole families are often regarded as being affected by “Jinn” (possession). Since mental health problems are regarded as taboos, such beliefs have been found to negatively impact families and this may cause people to not access professional help (structural sigma) and instead they may rely upon faith-healing or other traditional methods. This study aimed to explore people’s experiences of mental ill health and of accessing and using mental health services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It employed a narrative inquiry research method with the following objectives: 1. To enable mental health service users in KSA to speak about their experiences of mental health difficulties and accessing services 2. To discover possible barriers that people experience in accessing mental health services in the KSA 3. To identify how stigma associated with mental health difficulties may have affected people’s lives 4. To consider the influence of cultural and religious beliefs on people’s understanding of mental illness and the impact this has on service access and use. This study adopted a qualitative, narrative approach to explore people’s accounts of experiencing mental distress and using services in KSA. Recruitment was through a community-based national organisation: “Saudi Schizophrenia Charity Association” (SSCA), which is in Riyadh, the capital city. Interviews were conducted with 20 Saudi mental health service users. Narrative, un-structured interviews were used to give opportunity for people to narrate their own stories of their experiences of receiving a mental health diagnosis and subsequent treatment. The data obtained from the interviews were systematically analysed using a critical narrative analysis process. This research found a number of key themes concerning access to mental health services in KSA and the importance of faith healers as a mental health resource and cultural artefact. These related to widespread stigmatisation; socio-economic problems, including financial and social issues; psychological distress and mistrust or suspicion of medical assistance; the lack of belonging and the absence of family assistance and support and family relationships. The study findings suggest that in KSA, a culturally tailored approach that takes account of religious and traditional as well as conventional medical treatment, may optimise outcomes for people accessing mental health services. This study makes an original contribution to the existing knowledge on the experiences of people who use mental health services in KSA and helps to identify the barriers to accessing mental health care services. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a culturally tailored approach that takes account of religious elements as well as the medical model may encourage people with mental health issues to access mental health services.21 0