There is an old saying in Afghanistan that people under uncontrollable disaster call for help from their mothers and their God. Although, most of the world population seek refuge in religion and spirituality when threatened one way or another, this trend seem more pronounced in developing countries and, in the developed world, in socioeconomically disadvantaged group. For instance, in the US , African Americans and Hispanics turn more often than others to religion when under psychological stress. Such attitude toward being healed by God is a major means of relief in Afghanistan .

A friend, who is surgical assistant here in the US had told a supervisor “do you think my stitching will promote faster healing?” after a surgical procedure. The surgeon had replied “we just stitch the edges of the wound together, and God heals them”. Although the surgeon was not from Afghanistan, and I am not even sure of his religious orientation, this statement reflects what most Afghans believe. If a patient visits a doctor in Afghanistan, the doctor would say “take this medicine and God may cure your”. In some ways, this statement by physicians relieves them from the consequences of their treatment: if the patient gets better, then physician was helpful; if the patient did not get better, then it was God's will.

In Afghanistan, people are highly religious and turn to religion when other means of treatment fail (quite often, it is the first route of seeking help for any issue). Almost always, they seek "God's help" along whatever help they receive from their physicians. This is especially true when dealing with mental health. In this issue of JAPA, we focus on how Afghan people treat severe mental illnesses (and other problems) by turning to shrines and Ziyarats rather than psychiatrists/physicians. We will focus on shrines that some people from Eastern parts of Afghanistan (where population density is quite high) use for seeking treatment for their loved ones with severe (mental) illnesses.