Gambia College School of Nursing and Midwifery recently held a debate competition at the school grounds in Banjul for the motion and against the motion that: “Traditional Mental Health Therapy is a Myth”.
Yamundaw Cham, a student, who stood for the motion that Traditional Mental Health therapy is a myth, said hygiene was lacking in the treatment of patients by traditional healers.
She said some of the patients would not take birth since day one of their admission or treatment, adding that traditional healers only read a portion of the Quran and robbed it on the forehead of the patients when they knew that, for example, epilepsy seizure has something to do with the brain.
She added that traditional healers would say “when they remove the devil from the patients it transfers to a family member” and if that was true then they are doing more harm than good.
Awa Gaye, a student, who stood against the motion that Traditional Mental Health Therapy is a myth, said instead of saying it was a myth, it should be welcome and embraced, since it is another source of medication and healing.
She added that the treatment is natural and spiritual, as it involves the use of herbs and the Quran.
After 45 minutes of debating, group A and C, who stood against the motion that “Traditional Mental Health Therapy is a myth”, won the debate.