A total of 238 patients who attended a mental health service in Ilorin
, Nigeria, over a one-month period were interviewed to assess the rout
es they took to psychiatric care. Ninety-five patients reported that t
hey had first contacted traditional or religious healers when they bec
ame mentally ill. Patients who contacted such healers included signifi
cantly more males and Muslims and fewer patients with professional occ
upations. Family members played important roles in patients' decisions
about the type of practitioner to consult. The author suggests that u
se of psychiatric care in developing countries could be improved by tr
aining primary health care workers to give mental health education to
the communities they serve.