Claire Willcocks
How Western Medical Herbalists Conceptualise and Approach Depression: a Qualitative Investigation
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate what practising Western herbalists believe depression is, how they conceptualise what is happening to patients who are depressed, and why they feel depression arises, by examining the influences they draw upon to understand the phenomenon.
Literature from a range of reference sources likely to be used by Western herbalists was examined, and the main models and theories extracted. In-depth, qualitative research interviews were then conducted with a small number of practising herbalists, and additional data was gathered in writing from a further participant. Using an interpretative phenomenonological analytic approach, emergent themes and concepts raised by interviewees were clustered, and a narrative created around participants’ quotations.
Results suggest that there is no homogeneous contemporary Western herbal model of depression, but rather that herbalists are influenced by a broad range of sources. These include Western orthodox medicine and a range of psychological schools and traditional and energetic herbal practices.
Participants expressed the view that conceptions of depression are subjective, and that it cannot be defined as a straightforward clinical condition. Rather it manifests as a spectrum of possible symptoms, the expression of which is governed by the individual concerned, thereby necessitating individualised treatment strategies. In contrast to the main orthodox medical model in primary care, depression was not seen as a disorder only of the nervous system, but rather as involving the whole body and concepts of spirit, this being reflected in treatment approaches. Some individuals were seen as inherently predisposed to depression, this further emphasizing the value of constitutional approaches to treatment and highlighting parallels with emerging research in the fields of psychiatry and psychology.
