Culture is one thing that affects how people think and express their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. Therefore, the difference in the mental health status of people from different cultures is as well expected. The significant difference exhibited across cultures is how people express depression and anxiety (Subudhi, 2015). Culture impacts people's beliefs towards mental illness and attitude towards mental health in general. However, cultural beliefs associated with health may also contribute to the differences in diagnosis rates among cultures.
For instance, cultural beliefs in African Americans, Latinos, non-Latino whites, and Asian American communities concerning mental illness differ (Andrade, 2017). By far, this affects their views about the causes of mental illness, making decisions, and the preferred treatment type. For instance, African Americans view that the major cause of a mental illness is poverty, loss of friends and family, stigma, and discrimination (Andrade, 2017). Perhaps they also understand that support from friends and extended family is essential to their mental health care. Furthermore, a strong social connection is viewed as the shielding factor from mental health complications (Wurtzburg & Rocchio, 2015).
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However, Asian Americans view mental illness as a result of medical illness, family issues, and cultural differences (Andrade, 2017). They are also less likely to involve anyone in their social network to support them on mental illness issues and place their concerns more on their healthcare professions. In contrast, Latinos believe that mental illness is caused by a loss of friends and family, migration, and family issues (Wurtzburg & Rocchio, 2015). Relocation and migration can result in stressful experiences that affect a person's perspective of reality (Wurtzburg & Rocchio, 2015). The experiences are traumatic hence contributes to poor mental health.
In order to understand how to take care of people who have a mental illness, it is crucial that we know how culture influences our mental health. Different cultures view mental illness in different ways. This leads to the stigmatization of those that are suffering from mental illness (Subudhi, 2015). This results in difficulties in reaching out for help for those suffering from mental health in fear of discrimination. Culture can also determine how we deal with mental illness symptoms (Wurtzburg & Rocchio, 2015). It can sometimes discourage an individual from opening up on their emotional and physical symptoms. This can be a major stumbling block when it comes to dealing with mental health.
Culture can also influence how friends and families support someone struggling with mental illness. In the minority community, people who have mental illness are sometimes forced to seek help by themselves. Seeking help in the case of mental illness can difficult or time-consuming (Wurtzburg & Rocchio, 2015). This is because one needs to look for someone who can understand what they are going through. To deal efficiently with mental issues, it is first essential to understand how culture influences them.
Another cultural factor that is gaining interest is language barrier (Andrade, 2017). When dealing with mental illness, it is crucial to have face to face communication between doctor and some patients. This majorly affects the non-English speaking communities like the Latinos (Andrade, 2017). Some educational sources that educate on the symptoms and possible mental health approaches are written in English. Yet, some of the communities that do not speak English may have difficulties accessing them.
Physical health also affects the possibility of the occurrence of mental illness. This is because poor health is associated with mental illness risk factors that include depression and anxiety (Subudhi, 2015). In the United States, minorities tend to have the highest risk of chronic diseases and can have a higher chance of mental illness.
Conclusively, mental illness varies among different cultures and is highly influenced by cultural beliefs, especially how people handle the issue. Therefore, it also results in various forms of treatment. Statistics also indicate that minorities in the United States are less represented in most of the mental healthcare since they are less probable to seek treatment compared to white.
References
Andrade, S. (2017). Cultural Influences on Mental Health. Community Health. https://www.pha.berkeley.edu
Subudhi, C. (2015). Culture and Mental Illness. Social Work Practice in Mental Health . 24-26. DOI: 10.13140/2.11117.4724
Wurtzburg, S. & Rocchio, C. (2015). Mental Illness and Culture. The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Health, Illness, Behavior, and Society . https://doi/10.1002/9781118410868.wbehibs231
