Somalis turn to Dr Hyena to fight depression, mental illness

Mohamed Sheikh Yakub, a patient suffering with mental illness, sits inside the treatment room where a hyena believed to exorcise evil spirits that cause mental illness is secured in a cage, in Hodan district of Mogadishu, Somalia February 15, 2020. Picture taken February 15, 2020. REUTERS/Feisal Omar

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - The growls from the caged hyena reverberate through the room as Mohamed Sheikh Yakub slumps silently in a chair nearby, hoping the animal will frighten away the evil spirits he says have troubled him since his divorce.

The traditional treatment - rooted in the belief that hyenas can devour the 'jinns' or spirits widely blamed in the region for depression and mental illness - takes place in a sweltering shack in Somalia's capital Mogadishu.