Use of Alternative Health Care Practices by Persons With Serious Mental Illness: Perceived Benefits

Abstract

Perceived benefit has been identified as an important factor influencing the decision to use alternative medicine for various health problems.1 Although research examining the use of alternative health care practices in the treatment of psychiatric disorders has been increasing,2–7 little is known about the specific benefits experienced by users with mental illness. A few studies4,5 have attempted to address this issue by having respondents assess the extent to which a given practice was experienced as helpful. This report presents preliminary findings on the perceived benefits of alternative health care practices used by adults with serious mental illness (SMI) who participated in a larger exploratory study on the role of such practices in mental health recovery.