Management of depression by homeopathic practitioners in Sydney, Australia

Title
Management of depression by homeopathic practitioners in Sydney, Australia
Publication Date
2007
Author(s)
Makich, Lillian
Hussain, Rafat
Harris-Humphries, Judy
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8463-1624
Email: jharris2@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:jharris2
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Churchill Livingstone
Place of publication
United Kingdom
DOI
10.1016/j.ctim.2006.09.007
UNE publication id
une:3070
Abstract
Objectives: The study investigates the demographic profile, caseload and treatment for depression provided by homeopathic practitioners in Australia. Design: A postal survey comprising a self-administered questionnaire which included a combination of close-ended and open-ended response categories. Setting: The questionnaire was mailed to 128 homeopathic practitioners working in the metropolitan areas of Sydney, Australia. Results: The demographic profile of the respondents showed that most were in the 45–50 year age group, and female practitioners comprised 68% of the sample. Symptoms of depression reported in the homeopathic practice had parallel description of symptoms listed in the ICD-10. Overall, treatment of mental health disorders, such as depression, grief, anxiety and phobia were a significant feature of the practice caseload of the respondents. Eighty-four percent of the respondents had patients presenting for homeopathic treatment that were also receiving some form of external therapy, most commonly antidepressant medications. Sixty percent of the respondents incorporated 'concurrent' therapies in the treatment approach, most commonly counselling, nutrition and lifestyle management. Conclusion: The paper shows that most homeopathic practitioners provide a pluralistic approach to management of depression which is in accordance with principles of holistic care. The implications of the research findings are discussed.
Link
Citation
Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 15(3), p. 199-206
ISSN
1873-6963
0965-2299
Start page
199
End page
206

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