Cultural Influence Of Culture On Mental Illness

There are those who take mental illnesses seriously and those who do not. Mental illness does not have a set definition and its importance is widely varied. Sometimes, the way that people from certain cultures, different socioeconomic statuses, and different educational backgrounds view mental illness or mental illnesses in general can affect the way that one individual sees their own symptoms of mental illness and others who are mentally ill. In histories past, mental illness was looked at much differently than it is today. Dating back to the middle ages, mental illness and odd behaviors were believed to be caused by evil spirits entering one’s body and from the “work of the demon” (Kim, Lecture). During this time, exorcisms and witch hunts

Koro is a condition where one has a constant fear that their genitals are shrinking and are retracting into their abdomen (Kisok, Lecture); people who suffer from koro are mostly from Asian countries. In terms of diagnosis and treatment, cultural influences are critical to consider. Sometimes people report their symptoms differently, seek different treatments, or do not seek help at all based on their culture. “Cultural and social factors contribute to the causation of mental illness, yet that contribution varies by disorder” (The Influence of Culture and Society on Mental Health). The influence that cultural factors have on diagnosis and treatment is based mostly on the type of disorder. Some cultures view mental illness with more importance than other cultures do; and therefore some cultures might not feel compelled to share their symptoms or reach out for help. Prevalence of some disorders in certain

Some reports show that people who are from poorer backgrounds and have a lower socio-economic status might not have the means of the best education (Does Education Affect Mental Health?). If someone, who has no educational knowledge about mental illness, begins to suffer from some type of mental symptom(s), how are they supposed to know that they need to report it and that they need to get help? If you are not aware of a problem, how are you supposed to know that there might be a solution? People who are lucky enough to get to go to school and further their education have a lot more experience and a lot more knowledge than those who do not have these opportunities; in the case that an educated person and a non-educated person were to experience the same mental health symptoms, odds are that the educated person is more likely to seek a diagnosis as well as seek