Amygdala Essay

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

Sigmund Freud was an influential psychoanalyst in the late 18th century to the early 19th century. He made many advances in the field of psychology which have impacted other academic areas such as sociology and social work. In his 1915 paper “Mourning and Melancholia” he connected the normal realm with the pathological. In which he “compared mourning – a normal if painful event from which hardly anyone is spared – with a pathological although very common one: melancholia” (Fiorini et al. 2007). The natural human process is to mourn the loved subject or object when it is lost. Freud explains that grief is the feeling of losing love and once it is fully lost desolation and fear takes its place

Psychodynamic theorists believe that depression stems from dependence and loss. This idea is associated with the idea of losing a loved one like a parent or grandparent. This theory concludes that some people will regress into the oral stage of life and project the feelings they have while mourning on to themselves and become depressed. Most get over these feelings but some continue to get worse. Other ideas associated with this are imagined loss like one loses a job they have held for many years. In this fashion one unconsciously connects the loss of their job as equal to the loss of a

Psychologically, unresolved issues from childhood, constant fear of death, low self esteem , extreme dependence and chronic pessimism could cause depression. for example the object relation theory by Kern berg, looking at relationship people have with love object and how these relationship could cause depression when there is real or symbolic loss of the object. Profound early losses, such as the death of a parent or the withdrawal of a loved one’s affection, may resonate throughout life, eventually expressing themselves as depression. Also the cognitive theory says that depression is caused or exacerbated by maladaptive thinking.

The brain develops in such a way that it leaves itself vulnerable to these negative influences. The prenatal brain develops an overabundance of neurons, some of which are then carefully eliminated before age 4 (5). In a process similar to this, the amount of synapses between neurons is built up during early childhood and then pruned back for the next 30 years of life (5). These two processes are both disturbed by elevated levels of stress hormones (5). The two centers of the brain with the most postnatal changes, including the growth of new neurons after birth, are the hippocampus, which is part of the limbic system, and the cerebellar vermis (6). The hippocampus is in charge of creating and retrieving memories, working together with the other parts of the limbic system, such as the amygdala, which records the emotions for each memory. The vermis controls the production and release of two of the catecholamine neurotransmitters, dopamine and norepinephrine (6). Both the vermis and the limbic system have higher concentrations of receptors for the stress hormone cortisol than anywhere else in the brain (6). Due to this fact, these still-developing areas are the most vulnerable to the damage done by elevated levels of stress hormones.

Depression is a growing problem in today’s modern society. In the United States sixteen million adults currently suffer from clinical depression. This leads to over thirty thousand suicides, and five hundred thousand suicide attempts amongst Americans every year. Even people in a “perfect” world can not escape this reality. Bernard from Brave New World suffers bouts of depression often. Depression is a growing issue that is not always recognized for its severity, nor treated with the attention it requires, which only results in the worsening of the issue. Despite the lack of attention, depression is one of the nation’s leading causes of disability. It is an easily treatable mental health disorder, and with rising general knowledge and awareness

Throughout history, many societies across the world have tended to banish people with mental disorders from the mainstream. Even today individuals with psychopathologies experience additional social handicaps and distress as a result of prejudice. Yet, according to statistics, one out of four adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.

Similarly, when the statists for Suicide rates are compared between men and women, it shows men are more likely to commit Suicide compared to women. This could be because women are more likely to cope with stress and anxiety. They are much more comfortable with sharing their problems with others than men. Where as men are likely to feel stressed because they might feel scared to be cast as feminist because they share their worries with others.

According to Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, depression is a mental disorder characterized by feelings of worthlessness, guilt, sadness, helplessness, and hopelessness. Some of the symptoms that are accompanied by depression include lack of appetite, excessive hunger, weight gain, weight loss, and lack of concentration. If depression is present in someone, they can also experience anxiety. Several medical diagnosis’s can characterize depression such as HIV, Aids, Diabetes, and Eating Disorders. Depression is a serious illness that is often not taken serious enough.

All cultures have differnet beliefs about mental health and how they precieve what causes the disorders, how it can be cured or treated, and who should be involved in the process. Western coutries such as the United States, which see mental disorders as a result of natural scientific phenomena, advocate medical treatments that combat neurological imbalance and/or the use technology to diagnose and treat mental health disorders. Other countries believe that mental illness is the result of supernatural phenomena and promote prayer or other spiritual interventions that counter the presumed disfavor of powerful forces. Some cultures might ignore seeking professional medical help because they believe

Culture has a great effect on attitudes toward therapy. According to the National Institution of Mental Health each individual or groups of people bring a variation of beliefs to the therapeutic setting such as communicating what issues to report, types of coping styles, social support, and cultural stigma towards mental health. More often it is culture that bears on whether or not an individual will seek help. For example there is a widespread tendency to stigmatize mental illness in Asian countries. People with mental illness are considered dangerous and create social distance and

Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2001) describes how power differentials, chronic strains and stressors impact a disparity in the rate of depression between males and females. Stressful life events such as sexual assault more commonly occur in females compared to males. Women are often victims of these events which causes them to feel helpless and increases their stress. There is a correlation between sexual assault and depression where 35% of the gender difference in depression could be accounted for by the difference in assault figures for males and females. Females also endure more chronic strains than their male counterpart’s examples of these are harassment and a lack of respect. This stress is a result of their social status and roles in society.

Freud expressed that individuals are victims of their own feelings. Suppression and displacement are defence mechanisms in response to an actual event. These help individuals to cope with emotional turbulences, but this can result in depression. Freud stating that the likelihood to internalise loss objects is normal. Freud also believed that depression is simply due to a super-ego. Consequently the depressive stage arises when the individual’s super-ego is most influential. In comparison, the agitated stage occurs when the individual’s ego mind asserts itself, and the individual feels in control.

According to Morgan (2015), the neuroscience of depression has an emotional impact on many areas of the brain. The stressors in the hypothalamus pituitary adrenal axis initiate the release of the

This paper introduces a 35-year-old female who is exhibiting signs of sadness, lack of interest in daily activities and suicidal tendencies. She has no interest in hobbies, which have been very important to her in the past. Her lack of ambition and her suicidal tendencies are causing great concern for her family members. She is also exhibiting signs of hypersomnia, which will put her in dangerous situations if left untreated. The family has great concern about her leaving the hospital at this time, fearing that she may be a danger to herself. A treatment plan and ethical considerations will be discussed.