Changing Conceptions of Mental Distress Among Somalis in Finland

Abstract

This article examines how the conceptions, expressions and treatment of mental distress are changing among Somalis living in Finland. The data derive from two focus group interviews with Somali seniors and two individual interviews with Islamic healers. Conditions conceptualized by the Finnish biomedical system as mental disorders, are seen by most Somalis as spiritual and/or social problems. Somali migrants face new sources of suffering and new ways of interpreting them. Consequently, traditional conceptions of mental distress both persist and change. Islamic understandings of healing, including notions of jinn spirits and treatment, continue to be important in exile.