320 likes | 343 Views
ETHNICITY AND MENTAL ILLNESS. ETHNICITY . ETHNICITY = SOCIAL GROUPS THAT DISTINGUISH THEMSELVES FROM OTHER GROUPS BASED ON SHARED DESCENT, CULTURE, AND IDENTITY VARIES IN IMPORTANCE BY INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS. RECENT INTEREST. IMMIGRATION – 10% of all US residents DIVERSITY OF CULTURES
E N D
ETHNICITY • ETHNICITY = SOCIAL GROUPS THAT DISTINGUISH THEMSELVES FROM OTHER GROUPS BASED ON SHARED DESCENT, CULTURE, AND IDENTITY • VARIES IN IMPORTANCE BY INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS
RECENT INTEREST • IMMIGRATION – 10% of all US residents • DIVERSITY OF CULTURES • MULTICULTURALISM
PROBLEMS IN STUDYING ETHNICITY • COMPLEXITY OF ETHNIC GROUPS • HOW TO SEPARATE ETHNIC CULTURE FROM OTHER FACTORS • SOCIAL CLASS, AGE, ACCULTURATION, ETC. • CULTURALLY INSENSITIVE INSTRUMENTS
4 WAYS ETHNICITY AFFECTS MENTAL ILLNESS • RATES OF MENTAL ILLNESS • EXPRESSION OF MENTAL ILLNESS • RESPONSE TO MENTAL ILLNESS • COURSE OF MENTAL ILLNESS
RATES VARY AROUND THE WORLD • SCHIZOPHRENIA AND BIPOLAR FAIRLY CONSTANT • DEPRESSION FROM 2.4% IN RURAL SPAIN TO 30% IN AFRICAN CITIES • PHOBIAS FROM 2% IN PUERTO RICO TO 20% IN SWITZERLAND • ALCOHOLISM FROM 1% IN CHINA TO 23% AMONG NATIVE AMERICANS
AFRICAN AMERICANS • BLACKS HIGHER MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY • BLACKS HAVE SURPRISINGLY LOW RATES OF M.I. • EXCEPTION - ANXIETY DISORDERS (PHOBIAS) • PERHAPS BETTER COPING ABILITIES - SOCIAL SUPPORT, RELIGION
HISPANICS • HISPANICS TOTALLY INCONSISTENT - SOMETIMES HIGHER, SOMETIMES LOWER • LATINO PARADOX • LOW RATES OF M.I. AMONG IMMIGRANTS • HIGH RATES IN 2ND GENERATION
Lifetime DSM-IV Rates (%) of Substance Disorders in Mexican Women and Mexican-origin Women in U.S. 1 NESARC. 2 from M. Medina-Mora et al., in press.
Lifetime DSM-IV Rates (%) of Substance Disorders in Mexican Men and Mexican-origin Men in U.S. 1 NESARC. 2 from M. Medina-Mora et al., in press.
OTHER GROUPS • ASIANS - LOW RATES • DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS? • NATIVE AMERICANS - MUCH HIGHER RATES • ALCOHOLISM, DEPRESSION, SUICIDE
CONCLUSIONS • RATES VARY TREMENDOUSLY CROSS-CULTURALLY • NOT VERY CONSISTENT FINDINGS WITHIN U.S.
GROUPS HAVE DIFFERENT ILLNESS VOCABULARIES • “STRUCTURING” - GENERAL SENSATIONS BECOME PARTICULAR ENTITIES • E.G. DEPRESSION - • SOME: PSYCHOLOGICAL - SADNESS, HOPELESSNESS, LOW SELF ESTEEM • OTHERS: PHYSICAL -FATIGUE, ACHES, LOSE APPETITE, NOT PSYCH
EXPRESSIONS • WESTERN CULTURES = PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPRESSIONS • NON-WESTERN CULTURES = PHYSIOLOGICAL EXPRESSIONS
IMMIGRANTS • COMPARE SYMPTOMS OF NEW AND LONG-TERM IMMIGRANTS • STUDY OF CHINESE-AMERICANS • NEW IMMIGRANTS SHOW MORE PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS • LONG-TERM IMMIGRANTS SHOW MORE PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS • ASSIMILATION CHANGES SYMPTOMS
IMPLICATIONS • CLINICIANS SHOULD BE SENSITIVE TO CULTURAL NATURE OF SYMPTOMS • OUR MENTAL ILLNESSES - DEPRESSION, EATING DISORDERS, ETC. ARE “CULTURE BOUND” TOO
PSYCHOTHERAPY • WHITES FAR MORE LIKELY TO BE IN P.T. • EVEN MORE LIKELY TO STAY IN P.T. • BLACKS ESPECIALLY UNLIKELY
REASONS FOR ETHNIC DIFFERENCES • DEFINITIONS OF M.I. • USE OF INFORMAL OR FORMAL RESOURCES • TRUST IN MENTAL HEALTH PROFS • RESPONSE OF MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM • USE OF MEDICATION
MEXICANS DEFINE AS “NERVIOS” KEEP IN FAMILY GAP IN COMMUNICATION WITH M.H.P. ANGLOS DEFINE AS PSYCHOSES BRING TO M.H.P. SHARED DEFINITIONS OF PROBLEM RESPONSE TO SCHIZOPHRENIA IN L.A.
MEXICANS DELAYED TREATMENT MORE SEVERITY LESS COMMUNICATION MORE FAMILY SUPPORT WHITES QUICKER TREATMENT LESS SEVERITY MORE COMMUNICATION LESS FAMILY SUPPORT COSTS AND BENEFITS
FAMILY SUPPORT • MANY ETHNIC GROUPS • GREATER SENSE OF FAMILY OBLIGATION AND LESS INDIVIDUALISM • LESS ADEQUATE PROFESSIONAL TREATMENT
WHO STUDIES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA • NINE COUNTRIES (1970’S) • FIVE “DEVELOPED” - DENMARK, ENGLAND, U.S., RUSSIA, CZECHOSLAVAKIA • FOUR “DEVELOPING” - COLUMBIA, TAIWAN, INDIA, NIGERIA
FINDINGS OF WHO • COULD DIAGNOSE SAME SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZ IN ALL SOCIETIES • COMPARABLE RATES (1%) OF SCHIZ. IN ALL SOCIETIES • TWO YEAR FOLLOW UP • SHOWS MUCH BETTER RESULTS IN DEVELOPINGSOCIETIES
WHO FINDINGS • ABOUT HALF OF SCHIZ IMPROVE IN DEVELOPING SOCIETIES, LESS THAN 1/3 IN DEVELOPED • SO SURPRISED DID ANOTHER STUDY AND FOUND SAME THING
REASONS • FEWER EXPECTATIONS FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN DEVELOPING SO LESS DISAPPOINTMENT • SOCIAL EXPECTATIONS FOR CHRONICITY IN DEVELOPED • LESS STIGMA IN DEVELOPING
SUMMARY • FEW CONCLUSIONS FOR RATES • CULTURE AFFECTS WAY PEOPLE EXPRESS DISORDERS • CULTURE AFFECTS DEFINITIONS, FAMILY RESPONSE, AND PROFESSIONAL HELP-SEEKING • CULTURE AFFECTS COURSE
IMPLICATIONS • PROFESSIONALS SHOULD BE CULTURALLY SENSITIVE • ETHNIC-SENSITIVE PROGRAMS TEND TO WORK BETTER • PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT NOW WITH HIGH RATES OF IMMIGRATION