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Essays on cross cultural mental health
The effects of culture on mental health patients essay
Essays on cross cultural mental health
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One of the major global concerns of International Psychology is that relating to physical and mental health (Stevens & Gielen, 2007). One of the biggest challenges Western Psychologists face today is that “imported psychotherapeutic models and methods are not equally applicable within different cultural, economic, historical, political, religious, and social context, and must, therefore, be substantially modified” (Stevens & Gielen, 2007), this means that the diagnoses and disorders listed by the DSM-V may not be entirely applicable to cultures across the globe, as seen in each case study of Crazy Like Us, an investigation and analysis of psychological cases and disorders around the world. As Dr. Lee discovered with his patients in Hong Kong, …show more content…
That being said, are global definitions necessary or useful with regard to International Psychology and the concern for mental health? Do global definitions of disorders prove to be useful or serve a place in International Psychology in the long run if each culture finds that it must adapt the definition to fit within their society and embodiment of the disorder? This question relates to Stevens and Gielen’s (2007) concern of intergroup conflict because groups from differing cultures and backgrounds may not agree on the definition or classification of symptoms, or the best treatment plan. International Psychology seeks to standardize and provide a cultural competence for psychologists across the globe in order to accurately study human behavior and treat it in the manner most fit for that society and individual; each case study examined in Crazy Like Us indicates the need for a greater global push in International Psychology. The first case study in Crazy Like Us focuses on the rising percentage of Anorexia cases in Hong Kong, as …show more content…
The major pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline desired to supply anti-depressant medication to the Japanese population suffering from depression in order to relieve their symptoms and provide treatment (Watters, 2010). However, the Japanese population was very aversive to the idea of depression as a legitimate psychological disorder, and particularly more averse to treating symptoms with a psycho-pharmaceutical approach. After GlaxoSmithKline successfully entered the market in Japan, research and data indicating the ineffectiveness of these drugs was released to the public (Watters, 2010). In fact, the side effect insinuated by these drugs may be equally detrimental as the original symptoms the drugs attempt to treat, such as suicidal ideation (Watters, 2010). Therefore, the risk of the population’s mental health is at great risk, as are children and adolescents as depression becomes increasingly prominent in both of those populations. The psycho-pharmaceutical approach to treating depression, as GlaxoSmithKline propagates, may at best lead to minimal improvement in success, and perhaps this approach to treatment and mental health must be reconsidered. Furthermore, after the implementation of depression as an acknowledged disorder in Japan, the language used to
As an expat child having gown up and lived across three continents-politely labelled as a third culture kid, but in reality not belonging to any one culture-I doubt if my own parents would understand me let alone a doctor in another country. My mother suffers from trichotillomania and on visiting a psychiatrist in a foreign country, he mentioned not seeing this disease often in his country: he had made her feel at once both alienated and awkward, and not likely to trust his diagnosis or his treatment. I have seen her throwing her medication away- Pharmacotherapy cannot work without psychotherapy-and the demands of psychotherapy seem to be only increasing when you add a complex cultural element to it. Gold and his brother argue that both biological and social factors contribute to psychosis. In the field of psychiatric and behavioural sciences this would call for physicians skilled in appreciating all sorts of cultures and environments and while this may seem a tall order, a first step towards a solution would lie in acknowledging the role and importance of such external stimuli. Doctors cannot know it all but at least when they give a label it will be real. In a field where labels tend to stick and where the social stigma attached to mental illness is still considerable, it is worth while for doctors to make more informed diagnoses. Diagnoses that we can
Culture is a collection of religion, traditions, and beliefs that are passed down from generation to generation. Culture is created and maintained through the repetition of stories and behavior. It is never definite because it is continuously being modified to match current trends, however, historical principles are still relevant. With respect to mental illness, culture is crucial to how people choose to deal with society and the methods used to diagnose and cope with mental illnesses. In Watters’ The Mega-Marketing Depression of Japan, he focuses on how Japan and other cultures define depression, but also displays how the influence of American treatments in eastern countries eventually becomes the international standards. Even though the
Measuring depression in different culture is a complicated task, “there is a need for tools for multicultural mental health primary in order to promote communication and improve clinical diagnosis” (Lehti et al, 2009). This results indicated that there is still a need for a tool to accurately measure depression in patients from different countries/cultures. Each culture is unique in its very own, and certain abnormal behavior can only be found in certain culture. For instance, in western society we have the histrionic personality disorder, in which an individual desperately seek out attention, while in Japan, there is a phenomenon called “hikikomori” is an abnormal behavior where a person would go great length to avoid any social contract at any means. This abnormal behavior is similar to the avoidant personality disorder, however hikikomori is more severe. “Hikikomori is used to refer to group of young people who have withdrawn from social life and have had no relationships outside of family for a period in excess of six months.” (Furlong, 2008). The long period of time to be withdrawn from society is quite serious and will have many psychological damage. Another factor that is important when looking at abnormal behavior is the gender. The gender of an individual have play an important role in shaping the diagnosis and the diagnostic feature of these symptoms.
Anorexia is a life threatening eating disorder that is characterized by self-starvation, and the urge to lose weight. The obsession of losing weight and the food one eats can lead to anorexia nervosa which is a serious mental disorder. Ethan Watters opens his arguments with the emergence of anorexia in Hong Kong. Watter argues that before, anorexia was a rare and unknown disorder in Hong Kong until it was replaced by the American version. The Asian community has been known for having an obsession for food whereby they share large amounts of meals with family, the issue of food refusal was not in the picture. This disorder of self starvation, and the urge to lose weight was started by adolescents in distress of gaining weight more than their peers because of western influence. The adolescents were impacted by the new wave of cultural shifts, and individualism. Watters use Dr. Lee w...
Hikikomori can be perceived as a manifestation of Japanese democracy, in which the good society is imagined as cohesive, protective and secure, rather than one in which the individual can freely exercise the right to be different. But that is not always so. Schools, families and the sphere of mental health care have focused on producing social inclusion, but have discouraged citizens from being labeled as ‘‘different’’, even when such a distinction could aid them.[5] For example, Japan’s postwar education and health care encouraged relative equality and common social values, as a key to a healthy and productive society. However, society offers limited and constrained substitutes to mainstream social practise. Mental health is often described as a matter of an individual’s attitude (ki no mochiyo ¯), so it is important to keep in good spirits. The over-arching cultural value is attached to being active and participative, and if one fails to do so they are considered “different”. As a result a more diffuse assumption is that mental degeneration, whether in the form of mental illness, senility or even suicide, is, at least in some part, voluntary. [3] This approach to depression does not recognize nor does it emphasize psychological, developmental or even familial issues that were potentially at play in the youth. Instead, the stress is almost exclusively placed on healing through
In the later part of the 1900s psychologists started to explore more deeply the entire aspect of human behavior. In the 1980s Albert Bandura started this study of the whole spectrum of human behavior and how it would influence the mental problems found in patients (Devonis & Kaufman, 2014, p. 169), this study conducted by Bandura looked at aspects such as observational learning, cognitive regulators and self- regulatory behavior to name a few (Devonis & Kaufman, 2014, p. 169). The modern world has seen talking therapies becoming the main premise of psychologists by following the model of cognitive behavioral therapy to address and interpret mental health issues (Chung & Hyland, 2012, p. 288). An issue with modern psychology is the use of anti-depressants and anti-psychotic drugs with the intent to cure mental health issues but many of these drugs simply suppress these issues, in which the main goal is to cure mental health issues not suppress them (Chung & Hyland, 2012, p.
Each year millions of people in the United States develop serious and often fatal eating disorders. More than ninety percent of those are adolescent and young women. The consequences of eating disorders are often severe--one in ten end in death from either starvation, cardiac arrest, or suicide. Due to the recent awareness of this topic, much time and money has been attributed to eating disorders. Many measures have been taken to discover leading causes and eventual treatment for those suffering from anorexia. (http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource ...er.html#Causes of Eating Disorders) )
...y of international trends. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology , 45 (9), 889 - 897.
Antidepressant usage has increased all around the world and is used by all ages. Doctors are prescribing more prescriptions, even if the patient does not need the medication. “Antidepressants prescriptions in the UK have increased by 9.6% in 2011, to 46 million prescriptions” (Are Antidepressants overused?). This study took place in the United Kingdom; however, a lot more prescriptions are being prescribed all around the world. The use of antidepressants is increasing to an all time high because doctors do not want to waste time talking about feelings. The psychologist’s just want the patients to feel better quickly so they prescribe antidepressants. Human beings as well as doctors think that prescribing medicat...
Neither article, Cookie Monster and Fighting Anorexia – New Research Into Its Origins- and Its Youngest Victims, provide adequate research and details about the study. The articles needed additional information to understand and evaluate the research that was done. To better understand the results of the studies the following information is needed: age, gender, ethnicity, the duration of the study and the setting where the study took...
Kleinman, A. 1980. Patients and Healers in the Context of Culture: An Exploration of the Borderland between Anthropology, Medicine, and Psychiatry. University of California Press.
Culture has a huge influence on how people view and deal with psychological disorders. Being able to successfully treat someone for a mental illness has largely to do with what they view as normal in their own culture. In Western cultures we think that going to a counselor to talk about our emotions or our individual problems and/or getting some type of drug to help with our mental illness is the best way to overcome and treat it, but in other cultures that may not be the case. In particular Western and Asian cultures vary in the way they deal with psychological disorders. In this paper I am going to discuss how Asian cultures and Western cultures are similar and different in the way they view psychological disorders, the treatments and likelihood of getting treatment, culture bound disorders, and how to overcome the differences in the cultures for optimal treatments.
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures shares the journey of cultural illiteracy from the Hmong and American side. Fadiman states, “In 1995, for the first time, the national guidelines for training psychiatry residents stipulated that they learn to assess cultural influences on their patients’ problems,” (Fadiman 270). Though the unfortunate events that occurred were definitely able to avoid now, at the time, there was no standard set of actions and procedures to take in order to provide the best health care to different cultures. Fadiman truly succeeded in showing the reader that good intentions and compassion must be weighed more heavily when analyzing events and the consequences must be met with an objective eye.
Across the world, there are thousands upon millions of people who suffer from depression. Upon the numerous sufferers,
This concept is typically viewed as one of the positive aspects of cognitive behavioral therapy because this approach to therapy focuses on the client’s immediate problems and by staying in the present moment rather than having the client recollect past experiences. However, to some cultures, it can feel that by staying in the present there is an abandonment of cultural influences significant to the client if the therapist does not take the time to explore and reflect the client’s past (Nelson, et al., 2014). By spending large amounts of time in the present the therapist can neglect to learn about the history of their clients by not examining where the client came from and other important cultural factors that would be found by looking at the clients past and obtaining a full history of the