The challenge of registering traditional mental health practitioners on the Dogon Plateau of Bandiagara, Mali

Abstract

Collaboration with Traditional Health Practitioners (THPs) necessarily involves their registration, which requires the implementation of socio-cultural approaches to THPs. The objective was to describe the different approaches used to register THPs on the Dogon Plateau of Bandiagara. This was a longitudinal study conducted on the Dogon Plateau from 1986 to 2016, using different approaches to census traditional health practitioners (THPs): census based on the administrative list of influential figures, census based on consultation activities from 1990 to 2002, and census of other THPs by existing THP associations from 2002 to 2016. These different approaches allowed for the identification of 312 THPs from 1986 to 1990, including 27 in mental health, in the region; 87 THPs, including 9 in mental health, identified on the Dogon Plateau; and 8 THP associations formed around mental health THPs from 1990 to 2000. The THPs of the 8 existing associations identified other THPs, and the number of associations increased to 12 in 2000 and then to In 2002, there were 20 associations with 67, 95, and 156 members respectively, including 15 mental health professionals. From 2002 to 2016, 31 federated associations comprised over 700 members, including 20 mental health professionals. The challenges associated with the census, particularly the risk of creating complexes and solutions to minimize them, were also documented. The TPS census is a crucial period for establishing a climate of trust, essential for future collaboration. The initial contact must be based on mutual respect, friendliness, and humility. This experience could be replicated in other parts of the region, or even in Mali, taking into account local specificities.