Andrade, Sofia. "Cultural Influences on Mental Health." The Public Health Advocate, 16 Apr. 2017, pha.berkeley.edu/2017/04/16/cultural-influences-on-mental-health/. Accessed 14 Apr. 2020. This source focuses on the effect that culture can have on mental health and how it is handled and discussed. One thing the source points out is how many people view mental health is an issue that only the individual deals with, but the thing that people don't realize is that it actually is a problem that is connected to biological and genetic factors, psychology, and society. A vital point that the article focused on was that there are many ways that culture can affect someone's approach to mental illness. One cultural distinction is the manner in which the symptoms are recognized and described; a person will recognize the symptoms in a way that is "culturally appropriate." An example of this was that Asians tend to recognize somatic symptoms before they report emotional symptoms. Mental illnesses are handled subjectively based on how a culture perceived and handled a culture in the past. Cultural influences can also affect the manner in which people cope with mental illnesses; depending on a culture's view on mental illness, they will handle it at different stages and in different ways such as spiritual help. An example of this that was mentioned was that African Americans are more likely to handle personal problems on their own or rely on their spiritually for support. Being a minority also plays a large role in mental health because of the manner in which society views that culture and race. Typically when a race has had negative experiences with the health care system, they are less likely to reach out for help when mental illness is at play.
Harms, Willliam. "Looking at the Cultural Aspects of Mental Health." SSA Magazine, vol. 24, no. 2, Summer 2017, ssa.uchicago.edu/ssa_magazine/looking-cultural-aspects-mental-health. Accessed 17 Apr. 2020. This source focuses on how marginalized communities have more culturally-based attitudes towards mental health and how it has to be taken into account to improve the way mental health is studied and practiced. Because mental health has been stapled as a Westen concept, many immigrant and minority communities view mental health problems as a taboo topic due to the fact that it is viewed as being "crazy" or "mad." By having such a pessimistic outlook, those families and communities are less likely to seek help. Minority and immigrant populations are more likely to display physical symptoms rather than psychological symptoms. It is important to begin looking at mental health through the lens of culture due to the factors that values, beliefs, and traditions have on an individual's perspective of mental health. Taking this approach can help eliminate disparities for those needing mental health assistance. Because of what the future looks like, it is vital that medical professionals find a way to make mental health services accessible to any person that needs it. It has been estimated that racial and ethnic minority children and youth are one-third as likely to receive mental health services, however, only 6.6% of ethnic minority children and youth receive services. To find the best treatment for an individual battling mental illness, medical professionals have to analyze how culture shapes the mental illness experience through an individual's beliefs, values, practices, and norms. Because of the effect that culture can have, there can be significant variations in how mental illness is characterized, understood, and treated by the individual. Understanding the values that are most important to an individual and their family is the way to have a successful treatment. Another vital part to improving mental health services is to establish trust; minorities are more likely to conceal the entire truth of their condition, therefore, it's important that mental health providers gain the trust of their patients to provide effective treatment.
Holmes, Lindsay. "10 Staggering Stats Show How Mental Health Care Fails People Of Color." The Huffington Post, 19 Aug. 2016, www.huffpost.com/entry/minority-mental-health-statistics_n_57a4c099e4b021fd98787185. Accessed 18 Apr. 2020.
"Mental Health Disparities: Diverse Populations." American Psychiatric Association, www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/cultural-competency/education/mental-health-facts. Accessed 18 Apr. 2020. Infographic.
"Module 8: Improving Mental Health Care." Unite for Sight, Unite For Sight Inc., www.uniteforsight.org/mental-health/module8. Accessed 17 Apr. 2020. This source focuses on what would be needed to improve global access to mental health care. The component they say is most necessary to improving mental health care access is the scaling up of mental health care services; within that scaling up, it must be monitored closely, sensitive to cultural context, accompanied by extensive research, and supported by adequate funding. One action they say could make an immense difference is incorporation certain aspects of mental health care into the primary health care system. By implementing into the primary health care system, it could help remove some of the stigmas connected to mental illness and make certain cultures more comfortable with seeking out help. Some recommendations that the World Health Organization has suggested to countries are limiting the number of mental hospitals, building community mental health services, developing mental health services in general hospitals, integrating mental health services into primary health care, building informal community mental health services, and promoting self-care. The Mental Health Global Health Action Progamme, founded by the WHO, has proposed four care strategies to improving mental health: increasing and improving information for decision-making and technology transfer to increase country capacity, raising awareness about mental disorders through education and advocacy for more respect of human rights and less stigma, assisting countries in designing policies and developing comprehensive and effective mental health services, and building local capacity for public mental health research in poor countries
"Module 7: Cultural Perspectives on Mental Health." Unite for Sight, Unite For Sight Inc., www.uniteforsight.org/mental-health/module7. Accessed 17 Apr. 2020. This source focused on how stigmas toward people with mental illnesses stem greatly from cultural backgrounds and how different ethnicities view and handle mental illnesses. Attaching a stigma can prevent those who are mentally ill from seeking the help they need and cause discrimination in a variety of environments. According to the World Health Organization, stigma and discrimination of people with mentally ill people is "the single most important barrier to overcome in the community." Individuals have certain attitudes towards mental illness depending on the cultural backgrounds they are coming from. An individual's background can have an immense influence on their willingness to actively seek treatment. Medical professionals have identified individual and cultural beliefs as a vital part of understanding and helping a mentally ill patient. Studies have shown how mental illness stigma can impact how mental illness is approached and handled. An example is in Asia, many cultures value "conformity to norms, emotional self-control [and] family recognition through achievement", therefore, when asked about their willingness to marry a person that had a genetic cause of mental illness, many of their ratings decreased. Also, within the United States, many studies have shown a significant difference in attitudes to mental illness depending on an individual's ethnic background. The study showed that European Americans often sought care professional help and heavily supported biomedical perspectives on the disease. On the flip side, African Americans and Latinos expressed less willingness to seek professional help due to the stigma that was been attached to them and how it affects their help in the medical field. These two ethnicities were more likely to go the route that would cause the least amount of frustration and less stigma. Based on these studies, medical professionals have identified that cultural and ethnic backgrounds should be heavily taken into account in order to improve mental health care access. Presenting mental health care services in culturally-sensitive ways can be vital to increase access to and usage of mental health services. If the medical world wants to find the most effective way to help those suffering from mental illness, it's important that they identify and study the cultural and ethnic stigmas connected to mental health.
"Only Human." Produced by Kenya Barris. Grown-ish, produced by Kenya Barris, written by Richard Brandon Manus, season 2, episode 19.