Mental Health From The Sociocultural Perspective

The research problem I am interested in studying is mental health in Southeast Asian Community. Growing up, my mother suffered from major depression and younger brother with bipolar disorder. However, my parents would not acknowledge and does not believe that talking to medical professional with help them. My brother joined a gang and was getting involved in criminal activities in middle school. He went to juvenile hall to group homes, prison and then moved to Minnesota to live with his friends. Based off my personal experiences, I believe that Southeast Asian individuals need become aware of mental health rather than thinking it is only for crazy individuals. I’m interested in studying of the need and problem of mental health in the Southeast Asian community. I would conduct a qualitatively research. I would like to understand the reasons of why Southeast Asian individuals opinions of mental health issues. Since mental health illness is viewed as a weakness, I would like to find new techniques to help counsel the Southeast Asian Community.

I have always seen myself as a compassionate person that is outgoing and more than willing to dedicate my time just to see another person take something away from the experience. The compassion and people skills combined with the ability to actually aide in fixing their health and even being a part of the process of healing really resonated with me in a profound way. This is a job that I would be able to have many different choices in. I could travel across the country and see many different areas and how they are affected by certain things. I could learn to view the world through a different lens of perspective. On top of all of this, I would be able to do what I love—help

The social problem I have chosen to write about is mental illness. This problem is important to talk about “because of the number of people it affects, the difficulty of defining and identifying mental disorders, and the ways in which mental illness is treated” (Kendall, 2013, p. 227). “About 57.7 million people, or one in four adults, in the United States suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder” (Kendall, 2013, p. 229). “Many of these illnesses begin in childhood or adolescence, with the most common problems being anxiety disorder, mood disorders, impulse-control disorders, and substance abuse disorders” (Kendall, 2013, p. 229). I chose this topic because I wanted to learn more about how mental illness is a social problem and I have been interested in learning more about mental illnesses and how to help people with mental disorders.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURE ON MENTAL HEALTH AND HOW THIS CAN AFFECT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEN THE HEALTH CARE PROVIDER AND THE CLIENT

Mental health illnesses affect everyone. It is highly prevalent affecting people of all ages, gender, cultures, and social groups. Attitudes towards mental health illnesses vary among individuals and often are highly influenced by the various cultures that the individuals identify with. Culture as a social concept can be defined as a set of norms, values, behaviours, and beliefs that are common and shared amongst a group of individuals (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999). Culture can be applicable to groups like Asians and Americans but also to groups of shared norms, beliefs, and values established within professions such as the culture of patients and practitioners. Culture provides these groups with structure and context to understanding their society and the world as a whole. Culture influence a wide range of aspects of mental health, including how mental health is perceived by the patient, how the patient will experience mental health stigma, and how they cope with symptoms of mental health illness. Additionally, these cultural influences impact the relationship between the patient and the practitioner in a number of ways.

The specific area of interest within human services is mental health facilitation. I was raised in a household where all adults were involved in health care in one form or another. My maternal grandmother was an LPN and my mother is a Mental Health Counselor. Of course, my mother’s interest soon became my own, which inspired me to volunteer at mental health organizations even at the age of ten, where I spent my afternoons with helping with children suffering from mental retardation. An additional factor for my career decisions was, at the age of 21, I was diagnosed with Bi Polar disorder with suicidal ideations. It took several years for me to learn to manage my disorders and become a participating member

According to the director of national health, “the States have cut $5 billion in mental health services from 2009 to 2012. While also distinguishing at least 4,500 public psychiatric hospital beds.” Decreasing funds for mental health has resulted in an overcrowded population of homeless patients who either spend their time on the streets, in prisons, or in coffins. Overtime, mentally ill patients have nowhere to go, the jail systems are failing to provide proper treatment, and the government has already reduced mental health fundings as it is. It is time to take a stand, and say yes to increasing funds towards the mentally ill and health facilities.

Millions of Americans are impacted by mental health each year. Mental illnesses can impact one’s employment, physical health, education, and relationships. Many treatment services are available, yet people do not seek the care they need. Serious mental illness costs America $193.2 billion in lost earnings each year (NAMI, 2017). Mood disorders are the third most common cause for hospitalization for ages 18-44. Adults living with a serious mental illness, on average die twenty-five years earlier compared to others, but they could have been treated. It is obvious there is a problem in America regarding mental health, but it used to be much worse.

I would like to start my career off with community mental health. During this time, I would like to learn all that I can about the need for mental health within impoverished and minority populations. I would like to take this time to learn the needs of the communities in which I serve. I want to serve individuals of all ages, providing the care needed to adequately address the mental health needs in the community. I would like to also research what the communities lack in regards to their mental/behavioral health needs, which would provide me with the tools needed so to advocate for filling the needs of the community, whether that be advocating for stronger legislation at the county and state levels, or simply finding and introducing programs and resources which would be beneficial to the community. After licensure and at least five years of working with lower income, minority populations, During this time, I would like to take the progress I make into community work, creating families and groups in support of the family structure and care for the youth, adolescents, and younger and older adults within the community. After licensure, I would like to start working toward opening a practice of my own, specifically focused on those who have state covered healthcare or no healthcare at all. I want to provide care that is equitable care that transcends socioeconomic status, healthcare coverage, and race. Ultimately, I would like to utilize my career and the work that I do within communities to learn the inner workings of the public welfare/social policies so that I can one day serve on legislative boards to advocate for better healthcare and services for those who need the access to

Also research supports that ongoing stress impairs the growth of the nerve cell in the hippocampus. The amygdala is associated with emotions mainly fear and anger. With depressed individuals, a variety of scans show the amygdala to be very active and there is an increase in activity when the person is saddened or depressed. Even after affected people recovery, the increased activity in the amygdala is still present for a period of time. Another area of the body that research has determined plays a role with the development of depression is the endocrine system. The endocrine system is made up of small glands which are responsible for producing hormones and to release them into the bloodstream. The hormonal levels are keep constant and avoid

An emphasis on enabling positive mental health focuses attention clearly on the principles and process of programme delivery. Barry and Jenkins (2007) in their book have reviewed best practice programmes and case studies from around the world and examined how effective programme implementation can be ensured by use of research-based, theoretically grounded and culturally appropriate interventions, highlighting what we currently know about effective mental health promotion programmes and identifying the conditions that are necessary for their successful implementation (Barry & Jenkins, 2007). But I believe that culture with the socio-ecological environment together can make a difference in the mental health condition of Indigenous. The inextricable

Globalization is the product of evolution and has been shaped by weapons, agriculture, advance technology and biological components. The economics of the importation and exportation business has grown (including mental illness) with each element and has indirectly influenced culture. The dynamic portrayal of mental illness across cultures is prevalent and should be taken into consideration to better assist our clientele.

Indeed, mental health issues can impact on anyone, thus I learned from the CPD activities that nurses should provide an environment where person’s culture and preferences is respected as well (Saha,Beach & Cooper, 2008). Moreover, providing quality of care and promoting the wellbeing of the person without using our own assumptions, judgements and biases is an important component in practicing culturally safe nursing (Williams, 2008). As soon to be registered nurse, it is an important practice to be culturally sensitive, especially if in the future or even at the present while I am doing my placement, I must recognized and acknowledge the preferences of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people under my care. Certainly, it is not the nurses who will decide if the care is culturally safe or not, it is the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (Best & Fredericks, 2014, p.

If I had to pick a specific medical path today I would probably pursue integrative medicine as a primary care physician. Integrative medicine is one of the most interesting and more progressive specialties because it considers all available therapies whether they are conventional or not and determines which are the best for a patient based on scientific validity. It philosophically aligns with the idea of the physician as a “friend with special knowledge”, a phrase John Steinbeck used when writing to his own doctor and explaining what he wanted out of their relationship. While medicine already has intimacy built into the field because patients freely admit what pains them, I want to be able to build on that level of communication so I can provide

Everyone is different in society. There are special individuals, which are affected by mental health illnesses. Mental health issues can affect society both negatively and positively. There are cultures that treat these individuals like the reincarnations of gods. On the other side, there are cultures that isolate these individuals and look for cures to these pathologies. Mental health illnesses are important because they have to be studied to understand their cause, whether it may be biological or environmental. These issues are important because like every type of illness they have to be delicately studied, focusing on treatments to either cure them or reduce the symptoms of the pathology. These people were either conflicted with the ideals of society or they were praised by it. Cultures, which didn’t accept them, closed them up into asylums. Patients inside these facilities were brutally used as guinea pigs for their experiments. The way these people were treated shows how cruel and ignorant people were to the unknown. By learning from histories mistakes we can move forward in improving our society and achieve greatness.