The Impact of Culture on Mental Health - Essay Example

? Cultural Diversity and a Eurocentric Approach towards Psychological Health of the of the Concerned June 4, Cultural Diversity and a Eurocentric Approach towards Psychological Health Introduction Going by the fact that the global community is slowly, but steadily going multicultural, the mental health professionals are expected to come to terms with a plethora of cultural issues in their day to day practice (Moodley & Palmer, 2006)). Hence, it goes without saying that the clinical and counselling approaches aimed at curbing mental disorders need to be more in line with the diverse cultural aspirations and needs existing in the society. It is a must for the professionals engaged in mental health services to acquire cultural competence. It is sad to acknowledge that varied facets of the mental health services like assessment, education, treatment and research have been more or less Eurocentric in their scope and vision (Moodley & Palmer, 2006). No doubt, culture is always an essential factor in the mental disorders like pain, mood disorders, anxiety, eating disorders, addiction and schizophrenia (Moodley & Palmer, 2006). Certainly it would be right to claim that certain aspects of psychopathology do tend to be common across diverse cultures. Yet, it is also true that culture does play a pivotal role in most of the mental disorders. Hence, the Eurocentric diagnostic and assessment techniques and the resultant interventions should also recognize the cultural aspects specific to the patients undergoing treatment for mental disorders. It is a high time that cultural aspects and considerations should acquire an important place in the delivery of mental health services (Moodley & Palmer, 2006). This approach also has its advantages in the sense that the recognition of culture in psychological interventions is bound to broaden the scope of the existing scientific knowledge. The training and education of mental health professionals should and must incorporate a culture sensitive orientation. This premise is also true in terms of the contemporary demographic trends in the sense that most of the clinical psychologists and counsellors active in the delivery of mental health services in the developed nations are expected to serve the culturally diverse communities (Moodley & Palmer, 2006). To this day, a strong and influential Eurocentric approach towards psychology has more or less ignored an essential dimension of the personality of the ethnic minorities residing in the Western world, which is the spiritual values and cultural heritage (Cervantes & Parham, 2005). It would be utterly pragmatic to suggest that engaging the minority ethnic communities in psychotherapy by relating to their cultural values and beliefs results in a more holistic approach towards understanding and diagnosing their mental disorders (Comas-Diaz, 2006). Thus, it is impractical for psychologists to ascribe to Western standards of psychological health and well being to interpret and diagnose the behaviour of people who are from a different culture. Psychology and Culture The mainstream psychological concepts and interventions meant for ethnic minorities have to a great extent failed to adapt to their cultural sensitivities. With the augmenting populations of the people of colour in the developed nations like the UK, the US, Canada and Australia, the coloured people have emerged to be a significant chunk of the potential consumers of the mental health services (Comas-Diaz, 2006). So, it would be commonsensical to assume that the existence of culturally attuned therapies for these ethnic minorities will better serve them and their families. The treatment and the therapy meant for urban white populations may not serve their purpose in the case of aboriginal individuals and groups. Yes, their does exist limit to the extent and proportion to which the Western constructs and typologies could be attuned to the needs of the people of colour. However, this in no way obfuscates the necessity to recognize such aspirations in the mental health services delivered to the people of colour. Much of the studies conducted in that context are based on a strong belief that modifying and tuning the current practices in the light of culture and context will conclusively enhance the appeal, access and utilization of the mental health services by the ethnic minorities residing in the Western democracies (Falicov, 2009). Such an approach will not only ameliorate the prejudices, biases and disparities faced by patients hailing from ethnic minorities, but will also drastically reduce the dropout rate (Gonzalez, 1995). Failure to consider cultural constructs in the therapy designed for culturally different people simply adds to their stress and disorientation (Falicov, 2009). Psychology and Spirituality One significant aspect in the treatment of culturally different people that has not been given due consideration till now is their spirituality. Yet, spirituality has emerged as a major topic of discourse amongst the psychologists concerned about the spiritual values of the coloured people (Cervantes & Parham, 2005). The clinical and psychological approaches that were being practised till now were well aware of the concepts of multiculturalism and diversity. However, such cognizance was hitherto limited to accepting and respecting the spiritual beliefs and heritage of the patients undergoing treatment (Cervantes & Parham, 2005). This in no way proactively tried to incorporate the spiritual beliefs of the clients into the chosen interventions. This was owing to the preponderance of the Western psychological assumptions that it was imperative to retain and maintain a secular and neutral perspective in the diagnosis and treatment of people with mental disorders (Cervantes & Parham, 2005). There was never felt a need to approach the psychological ailments of the coloured people in a much broader and holistic context. The cultural expectations of a client belonging to an ethnic minority are to a large extent determined by the spiritual beliefs specific to one’s cultural group (Cervantes & Parham, 2005). For example, Native Americans consider the human life to be endowed with an unavoidable spiritual dimension and consider mental development to be a part and parcel of a much larger spiritual journey (Cervantes & Parham, 2005). The Latinos residing in the US have their spiritual moorings in the religious beliefs of the ancient Aztecs marked by strong Roman Catholic overtones (Cervantes & Parham, 2005). The thing is that though the modern practitioners of psychiatry and clinical psychology receive much variegated education and professional training, yet their essential approach towards mental disorders has its roots in the Eurocentric and Western psychological contexts and perspective (Falicov, 2009). This deficiency visibly becomes obvious when the try to treat the people of colour suffering from mental disorders. A Western approach towards psychological disorders considers that the spiritual aspects of a psychological disorder can simply not be considered as they cannot be verified and assessed by scientific methods (Cervantes & Parham, 2005). Also, the dependence of the Western approach on a range of secular variables simply leaves no scope and space for the recognition of spiritual dimensions. Clinical Approaches towards Culture The experts have tried to make way for the concept of culture in psychological intervention in varied ways. Some experts have totally disregarded the notion of culture in psychological counselling as they hold that if the Eurocentric approaches and interventions are applied in a methodical and professional way, they are bound to lead to the same and salubrious results, irrespective of the race or nationality of the patient being treated (Falicov, 2009). This approach is called the Universal approach and is to some extent valid in the sense that all psychological maladies do have some common aspects that are not determined by culture. However, this premise cannot be simplistically extended to assume that a one size fit all clinical intervention will work for the clients of all races and nationalities. In contrast to the Universal approach, the Culture-Specific approach towards psychotherapy is more pragmatic in the sense that it recognizes that each and every cultural group has its own perspective and views regarding healing (Falicov, 2009). This approach has shown praiseworthy results in the treatment of the American Latinos given to domestic violence. The Latinos treated by this approach were encouraged to identify with the positive facets of manhood imbedded in the Aztec culture through the rendering of native parables (Falicov, 2009). This approach was further streamlined by making these Latino males recognize the negative aspects of masculinity introduced to their culture by the Spanish invaders (Falicov, 2009). The problem with the Culture-Specific approach is that it sometimes negates or ignores the universal aspects of mental disorders. In answer to this lacuna, Cultural Adaptation has emerged as a more balanced and rational line of approach towards the treatment of ethnic minorities. This approach believes in adapting and tailoring the Western theories and practices as per the values, beliefs and stylistic preferences of the culture of the individual who is being treated (Falicov, 2009). The crux of the matter is that the culture is and should be an important construct in the contemporary psychotherapy (Gonzalez, 1995). Conclusion The ethnic communities and coloured people are going to be the major consumers of mental health services in the times to come. Hence, an essentially Western approach to their ailments and behaviour will not only prove to be counterproductive, but will amount to be biased and unaccommodating. Now is the time for the mental health professionals and researchers, to reconsider and build on their approach towards clients, belonging to ethnic minority groups. References Cervantes, Joseph M & Parham, Thomas A. (2005). Toward a Meaningful Spirituality for People of Color: Lessons for the Counselling Practitioner. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 11.1, 69-81. Comas-Diaz, Lillian. (2006). Latino Healing: The Integration of Ethnic Psychology Into Psychotherapy. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 43.4 , 436-453 Falicov, Celia Jaes. (2009). Commentary: On the Wisdom and Challenges of Culturally Attuned Treatments of Latinos. Family Process. 48.2, 292-309. Gonzalez, Fernando. (1995). Working with Mexican-American Clients. Psychotherapy. 32.4, 696-706. Moodley, Roy & Palmer, Stephen. (2006). Race, Culture and Psychotherapy, New York: Routledge. Read More