Does culture affect mental health? Flashcards
How does culture affect the expression of disorders?
Schizophrenia can be more severe in industrialised nations than in developing nations which may be due to the spirituality in developing nations and the support and the ease of reintergration
How do culture differences become apparent in the kind of delusions that occur in schizophrenia patients?
Often delusions reflect themes in the culture, in Ireland they think they are saints, in America they think they are being watched, in Japan they think they are being humiliated
What is the culture bound syndrome genital retraction syndrome (penis panics)?
Where males think their penis will retract into their bodies and women their breasts. Known in Africa and Asia
What is the culture bound syndrome Ghost Sickness?
Occurs in Native American tribes, included obsession with death, nightmares, loss of appetite and feelings of suffocation and terror
What did Lin (1996) find with regard to the symptoms of schizophrenia in other cultures?
That the similarities outweigh the differences and the prevalence seems similar across cultures
What did Kulhara et al (2009) find when reveiwing studies in developing countries?
That there is a larger proportion of people in developing countries having a good outcome from schizophrenia
What did Luhrmann et al (2015) find about different social norms across cultures?
That in the USA hearing voices was seen as a negative experience, wheras in India and Ghana it was seen as more positive, suggests that the experience might differ
How do cultural attitudes influence mental health?
Different cultural groups have different attitudes to psychological distress and mental disorder and these attitudes affect whether people seek help
What did Kim and Bernos (2001) find about the Japanese regarding schizophrenia?
That it means ‘disorganised mind’ in Japanese as there is a lot more social stigma around it meaning doctors are reluctant to give the diagnosis
What issue did Sabin (1975) find about the differences in languages during diagnosis?
Differences in languages mean that the interpreter can unconsciously change the information they are providing
What issue did Sue and Sue (1992) find when the client and clinician are from different backgrouds?
That people are less likely to admit they have a problem when they do admit a problem to someone of a different background/culture
What did Casas (1995) find about African Americans?
That they do not like to share personal information with people of a different race
What does Littlewood and Lipsedge (1997) suggest about bias towards diagnosis?
There is a bias towards black and Irish people with regards to diagnosis of schizophrenia
