Migration is a common phenomenon that has been in existence for a long time, one of the definitions of migration is “a process of people adapting to a new environment which involves making decisions, preparations, going through the procedure, shifting physically to another geographical area, adjusting to the local cultural needs and becoming a part of the local system” (Virupaksha, Kumar & Nirmala, 2014). This may be due to many reasons, most times the reason for migration is to seek for a greener pasture and to have a better and fulfilled life, if the previous statement is true, then the question is why is mental illness a common occurrence among migrants? Unforeseen circumstances, language barrier, cultural differences, inadequate preparation …show more content…
The most prominent factors from the findings were “communication difficulties because of language and cultural differences, the effect of cultural shaping of symptoms and illness, behavior on diagnosis, coping and treatment, differences in family structure, process affecting adaptation, acculturation and integrational conflict, and aspects of acceptance by the receiving society that affect employment, social status and integration” (Kirmayer et al; 2011). Articles the researchers reviewed were from MEDLINE, Health Star(Ovid), EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and the Cochrane database of systematic reviews from January 1998 to December 2009. The total amount of articles collected were 840, but only 130 articles were selected including 10 systematic reviews and 5 meta analyses. According to this research “strong evidence showed that some group of migrants have an elevated incidence of psychotic disorder after migration” (Kirmayer et al; 2011). The research also showed that “factors related to increased risk include coming from a developing country and an area where most of the population are black, suggesting that racism and discrimination have a role in elevated incidence” (Kirmayer et al; 2011). Discrimination and racism can lead to isolation, lack of social support and emotional problems which may negatively impact mental health. Another factor …show more content…
Availability of good jobs, social support, less discrimination, access to health care service and in general good public services will affect migrants’ mental health positively. There should also be establishment of programs and policies by the government to help new migrants, health care services should be readily available, accessible and affordable. Health practitioners and translators should get education on cultural diversity to help build therapeutic relationships. This will facilitate client centered care which brings about collaboration between immigrants and health practitioners, this will be useful to address health needs and appropriate interventions. Another area is to work with migrants’ families and communities as this may help to identify stressors and come up with specific interventions that will help to improve overall wellbeing. Communities of the migrants also have important roles to play, presence of religious organizations, people of the same culture and ethnic background can help to offer counselling and support which will cause a sense of belonging, remove discrimination, racial issues and isolation that migrants
It is made evident that immigration would indeed best be addressed at its source, by making conditions better in a potential migrants’ homeland in order to stop their motivations to leave entirely. Organizations such as Heifer International and the Grameen Foundation work to help improve the quality of life within foreign countries by supplying direct aid to people in need. For example, Heifer International provides educational training to the impoverished in other nations to show them how to make better lives for themselves and handle their finances wisely. A key feature all these organization share is their focus on improving the quality of life for others within their own countries and showing them that migration is not the only option and that they can flourish within their own
In order to prevent typecast of a culture, there needs to be deeper evaluation of each particular instance as opposed to careless assumptions in order to work with various cultures and build a stronger and more conclusive system of mental and behavioral health. In order to prevent judgement and persecution of various non-normative cultures, acceptance of differences and developed education which includes cultural- bound and cultural specific syndromes needs to occur. In addition, the inclusion of mental health conditions that are specifically linked to cultural and social practices and stressors is very significant in the progression of inclusive
Introduction The homogenization of mental health in all aspects is a focus of Ethan Watters in his book Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche. Watters explores and explains his opinions on how America is globalizing mental health in a negative way. He sets the book up as a compilation of case studies that support his idea of mental health homogenization. The four case studies all occur in places outside of America, naturally, but all of the people involved are affected by America in some way.
The mental health rate among Hmong has been found to be high compare to other Western population. The major cause of mental health diagnosis is linked to traumatic war related events that they had experienced back in their homeland and acculturation changes in the United
However, pre-migratory social determinants have had a negative effect on the mental health of some immigrants. The research also shows that not many individuals from Latin America use the health facilities and there is a correlation between their non-use and their language barriers. Finally they posited that more research needs to be done on the mental health of Latino immigrants in Canada. However, it must reflect the diverse nature of the growing Latino population and not limited to one group like the literature
Due to several inabilities to cope with society, migrant families, with unfamiliarity of the land and language are strayed from opportunities and busied with their family needs. A country freedom for what its known, denies decent employment to incoming
psychotic diagnosis is more prevalent than in other countries who are unfamiliar with western medicine. “With Lia it was good to do a little medicine and a little neeb, but not too much medicine because the medicine cuts the beeb's effect. If we did a little of each she didn't get sick as much, but the doctors wouldn't let us give just a little medicine because they didn't understand about the soul.” - (Fou Yang, 95) One culture that has been noted to oppose western medicine is the Hmong culture. The Hmong culture does not have a word for mental health , poor mental health meant that you had an unhappy spirit.
Mental health is a state of psychological well-being. According to World Health Organization (WHO) mental health includes "subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy, autonomy, competence, intergenerational dependence, and self-actualization of one's intellectual and emotional potential, among others." (Organization, WHO 2001) However, cultural differences, race, ethnicity, personal background, subjective assessment, and socioeconomic status all affect how mental health is defined. This variation in definitions of mental health between different sects of our society further causes drift in methods of treatment, and may cause the burden of mental health to be greater on some cultures.
Black people have many disadvantages stemming from multiple sources such as, slavery, race-based exclusion, lack of education, social and economic resources, amongst other things. Socioeconomic status is linked to mental health. People who are impoverished, homeless, incarcerated or have substance abuse problems are at higher risk for poor mental health. Racism still continues to have a negative impact on black people, especially the mental health of blacks. Historically and contemporary occurrences of antagonistic treatment led to a distrust of authorities.
It can often lead to racial profiling as it promotes many negative stereotypes of certain races or ethnicities. One common place, racial discrimination leads to racial profiling is schools and universities. For instance, racial profiling has been shown to cause detrimental effects toward a students mental health. According to Bravo et al. (2021), racial profiling can result in sentiments of rage, irritation, anxiety, and despair, which can contribute to poor academic performance and reduced graduation rates.
According to Potochnick & Perreira (2010) there is higher likelihood of anxiety and depression on Hispanic/Latinos when immigration and psychosocial worries are present. With the large majority of foreign-born population in the U.S. originating from Mexican land [I], this is an important matter to consider. 2. Lack of medical care may not be the ultimate factor in the low number of treatment for depressive disorders in this culture, a social-cultural script may also be of substantial significance in this matter. C.
When I immigrate to the United States I was unaware that other immigrants are having same symptoms that I had like anxiety and depression. According to a study of about 250 immigrant in New Zealand that self-reported their post immigration feelings suggest that they all suffered from depression. The study analyzed immigrant from different countries and suggested that “demographic characteristics are not associated with symptoms levels” (Pernice, 511). In other words regardless where an immigrant is coming from he or she most likely will have similar symptoms. The study also indicated that not having close friends and spending most of the time with one’s own ethnic group affected anxiety and depression scores.
One main cause of depression is if immigrants miss the home and families they may have had to leave behind. The trauma of loss and separation can be immense. If immigrants are fleeing their home country related to war or government prosecution, immigrants may feel depressed and worried for the fate of their country and any other family members still at home. It may also be very hard to adjust to a brand new culture. Imagine having to change the way you are, changing or learning a new language, adapting to new customs that are different than those back at home.
In a study by Sarah Garcia-Siberman (1998:1-12), mental health issues can be seen at any age from the very young to the elderly, those with a higher level of education are less likely to develop cultural-bound syndromes. They are more likely to seek out the assistant of mental health providers (psychotherapy) and take medication (pharmacological treatment) if needed. This makes since to me, when someone is educated and are able to cope with the stresses of everyday life, the person is better equip to deal with whatever changes occur, making mental health issues less likely in this population. The older population and those that have little to no education, view these syndromes as evil, spiritual possession, or witchcraft, which can only be cured through herbal remedies, religious or shaman healers, and ritual ceremonies (Piñeros 1998:1425). If a culture is isolated and has no contact with civilization, I can see why they would not be able to seek professional help.
Of equal importance is the manner in which we house migrants and refugees. It is crucial that these places are protected from the elements of nature, like the hot and/ or cold temperatures, and have proper sanitation, cleaning and ventilation. Furthermore, we must continue to ensure that avenues to integrate these groups of people into either education or employment exist, because without either of those two, turning to crime or illicit activities is only a matter of time. Similarly, it is important to educate native populations about the dangers of prejudice and to encourage them to be more empathetic towards others who really had no other choice, but to run from their