A South African Experience: Cultural Determinants of Ukuthwasa

The current study investigated ukuthwasa, a South African culture-specific syndrome associated with the calling to become a sangoma, a type of traditional healer. Ukuthwasa has previously been compared to Western mental health constructs, such as depression and schizophrenia due to its accompanying debilitating symptoms. The current study sought to better understand the calling to become a sangoma and define the phenomenology of ukuthwasa. Unstructured interviews were conducted with participants comprised of izangoma (plural of sangoma) who had experienced ukuthwasa and key informants indigenous to South Africa living in and around the Durban metropolitan area ( N = 11). The qualitative data were analyzed using grounded theory, which allowed for the categorization of data into themes for further analysis. The results of the study showed that while there were similarities between ukuthwasa and Western constructs of mental health, the course and effectiveness of management differed greatly, suggesting the need to incorporate cultural factors into management decision-making.