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Cultural Issues Related to Mental Health Care. Chapter 2. Culture. A way of life for people who identify or associate with one another on the basis of some common purpose.
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Culture • A way of life for people who identify or associate with one another on the basis of some common purpose. • Totality of learned, socially transmitted beliefs, values, and behaviors that emerge from its members interpersonal experiences.
Cultural Terms • Acculturation • Segregation • Integration • Prejudice • Discrimination • Stereotyping
Stigmatization • Process of assigning negative characteristics and identify to one person or group • Causing that person or group to feel unaccepted, devalued, ostracized, and isolated
Culture and Religion • Western societies • Judeo-Christian thinking predominate • Eastern societies • Islam • Hinduism • Buddhism • See table 2.1
Cultural Groups and Beliefs About Mental Illnesses • Cultural groups have different histories related to mental illnesses. • Traditional beliefs associated with mental illnesses evoke shame, social ostracism, and stigma. • In some communities, language is a barrier for receiving mental health services.
Different Cultural Beliefs • African Americans: Significantly lower mental health and poorer self-perceived health • Latino Americans: Late in Seeking Mental Health Services • Asian Americans, Polynesians,Pacific Islanders: Asians deny Mental Illness ````````(neurasthenia) • Native Americans: Some view Mental Ilness as supernatural possession or being out of balance with nature
Socioeconomic Influences in Mental Health Care • Poverty • Geographic location • Changing family structure • role change • mobility and relocation • unmarried couple • single-parent families • stepfamilies • childless families • same-gender families
Stigma and Mental Illness • Patients with mental illness have always been victims of stigma. • U.S. Surgeon General’s Report (1999) highlights the negative attitude that continues to exist in the U.S. • Two-thirds of people do not seek treatment.
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) • National organization with the mission to eradicate mental illness and improve the quality of life for patients. • Works toward helping public understand that mental illnesses are no-fault, biologically based, treatable, and eventually curable. • NAMI has several local chapter with family support groups.