Attitudes towards Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Mental Health Issues: Initial Literature Review

Abstract

Abstract

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) defined as a category of non-conventional treatment aimed to improve personal nor public health status. Positioned as a diverse system to promote, prevent, and curate health behaviors, CAM has not been accepted in the field of conventional medicine. This study aims to address different attitudes towards CAM with the main objectives to seek the context of CAM usage and its position in mental health issues. Through a literature review, it was discovered that CAM has been shown to be utilized not only for physical but also psychological issues. Some studies have found the affiliation of age, gender, educational background, occupational background and socioeconomic status in the access of CAM. The position of CAM in the mental health issues depends on the beliefs within communities. As a categorization of medical health routine and products that are not currently considered in the health system, CAM mostly used as a complementary medicine along with conventional medicine routine. Despite off that, it was also founded that CAM works as a way of life in indigenous communities. The collected data works as a pilot study for advance research in CAM in order to raise awareness towards the usage of CAM for mental health issues.

Keywords: Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Cultural Treatment, Non-Conventional Medicine, Psychology, Mental Health Treatment

Abstrak

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) atau yang dikenal sebagai pengobatan komplementer dan alternatif, didefinisikan sebagai kategori pengobatan non-konvensional untuk meningkatkan kesehatan individu maupun publik. Tipe pengobatan ini belum diterima dalam sistem pengobatan konvensional, walaupun terkadang digunakan untuk mempromosikan, mencegah, dan menangani perilaku kesehatan. Studi ini ditujukan untuk mengenali perbedaan sikap terhadap CAM, khususnya mencari konteks penggunaan CAM, serta posisinya pada isu kesehatan mental. Melalui studi pustaka ini, ditemukan bahwa CAM telah digunakan dalam mengatasi masalah fisik maupun psikologis. Beberapa hasil penelitian sebelumnya menemukan kaitan antara usia, jenis kelamin, latar belakang pendidikan, latar belakang pekerjaan, dan status sosioekonomi dalam penggunaan CAM. Posisi CAM dalam isu kesehatan mental bergantung pada kepercayaan komunitas. CAM lebih banyak digunakan sebagai pengobatan komplementer bersamaan dengan pengobatan konvensional. Selain itu, CAM merupakan bagian dari kehidupan masyarakat adat. Implikasi studi ini berperan sebagai studi awalan untuk meningkatkan kesadaran mengenai penggunaan CAM pada isu kesehatan mental.

Kata Kunci: Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Pengobatan Kultural, Pengobatan Non-Konvensional, Psikologi, Pengobatan Kesehatan Mental