Download Mental & Physical Health Slides

Mental & Physical Health
Discussion

Describe the following:




What would someone with depression
experience, feel, or describe?
What specific kinds of things do you
expect someone with anxiety to feel
anxious or nervous about?
If someone has a delusion caused by
schizophrenia, what would it commonly
be?
What are the reasons why people commit
suicide?
Objectives



Describe the psychological disorders
that are found across cultures.
Identify the role that culture plays in
the diagnosis of psychological
disorders.
Identify the role that culture plays in
the expressed symptoms and course
of psychological disorders.
Psychological Disorder

A pattern of behavioral and psychological
symptoms that causes significant personal
distress, and/or impairs the ability to
function in one, or more daily areas of life,
or causes harm to the self or others.

Different than just abnormal – not just a
violation of norms or statistically infrequent
Depression

Recurrent episodes of 5+ of: despair,
hopelessness, worthlessness, loss of
interest in activities/people, negative selfevaluations, guilt, suicidal thoughts, loss of
appetite, sleep disturbances, bodily pain

Culture: somatization vs. psychologization


East Asia vs. United States
Males vs. Females
Social Anxiety

intense, irrational fear and avoidance of a
specific social situation – fear that social
ineptitude will have negative consequences
 Cultural difference: rates lower in
interdependent cultures (conditioning?)
 taijin kyoufushou (TKS) – (Japan)
preoccupation with doing something that
will make others uncomfortable, such as
strong body odor, blushing, sweating,
penetrating gaze
Schizophrenia

Thought disorder


Positive Symptoms (+)


Interruption to normal thinking / reasoning
processes, especially coupled with
unexplainable auditory or visual experiences
(the brain tries to fill in the gaps to make sense
but the result does not reflect reality)
incoherence, loose associations, paranoia, clang
associations, hallucinations (esp. auditory),
delusions of: grandeur, persecution, reference
Negative Symptoms (-)

loss of normal thought or behavior, catatonia,
social withdrawal, inappropriate emotions/affect
Schizophrenia

Cultural differences



Content of hallucinations and delusions
Initial stressors
Social support roles
Suicide

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8
o0tcZ4mru8&feature=related




Micronesia & First Nations in Canada:
15-24 yr olds
Japan: steady across ages, seppuku
USA/Western Europe: 65+
Other cultural variations: method,
attitude about consequences (ghost
creation vs. honor vs. damnation)
What causes a
psychological disorder?

Biology: neurotransmitter imbalances
What causes a
psychological disorder?

Biology: genetic predispositions + stress



Stress: Mental and physical condition that
occurs when a person must adjust or adapt to
the environment
Autonomic NS arousal, release of cortisol,
adrenaline, noradrenaline
Long-term stress: Stomach pain, asthma, eczema, hives,
migraine headaches, rheumatoid arthritis, high blood
pressure, colitis, heart disease, sore muscles (neck,
back), indigestion, constipation, chronic diarrhea, fatigue,
insomnia, sexual dysfunction, trigger psychological symp.
What causes a
psychological disorder?


Environment: history of abuse,
trauma, modeling, experience, cultural
thinking (guilt, shame)
Non-western explanations:

Ghosts, curses, imbalance in
environment, inappropriate rituals,
problem with social network
Stigma





1 Labeling people with a condition
2 Stereotyping people with that condition
3 Creating a division – “us” and “them”
4 Discriminating against people based on
their label
What group of people is the most
stigmatized in the United States? List your
top 5 and agree on the number 1.
 Think of a positive and a negative media
portrayal of that group.
Stigmatization of
Psychological Disorders




Name implies it is different from
physical illness
Mind/brain distinction: Sounds as if it’s
“all in one’s head”
Blame: many people believe it results
from poor choices
Individualistic view: should have
personal responsibility & control
Objectives


Describe the most studied culture
bound psychological disorders.
Identify the role that culture plays in
the expressed symptoms and course
of psychological disorders.
Anxiety



hikikomori – social withdrawal (Japan)
living as a recluse, no contact with anyone
dhat syndrome – (South & East Asia)
preoccupied/anxious that they are leaking
semen (semen viewed as a source of
vitality, hard to make), often anxiety/guilt
about masturbation
bulimia nervosa – (Western) recurrent
episodes of binging and inappropriate
weight loss methods 3+ months, selfevaluation based on body weight
Anxiety




koro – (South Asian countries) fear that
one’s penis is shrinking into their body
frigophobia – (China) morbid fear of
catching a cold
susto – (Latin America) feel that soul is
dislodging from their body
voodoo death – (Africa) severe anxiety that
someone has put a curse on them, leads to
extreme behavior which often leads to
death
Anxiety

Ghost sickness (Native American) weakness, bad dreams, feelings of danger,
futility, suffocation, confusion, fainting,
dizziness, loss of appetite
Psychosis


amok – (SE Asia, Malaysia) outburst of
unrestrained violence with indiscriminate
homicidal attacks, preceded by brooding
and ending with exhaustion and amnesia,
caused by stress, lack of sleep, + alcohol
latah (SE Asia, Siberia, Japan) – transient
dissociated state after a startling event
with socially inappropriate behavior
(barking, yelling sexual statements)
followed by anmesia
Psychosis

arctic hysteria – (Inuit) hysterical
attack with loss or disturbance of
consciousness, resulting in tearing of
clothes, rolling in the snow, speaking
unknown languages
Somatoform disorders



malgri – physical symptoms (tired, sick,
drowsy) after entering a new territory
without performing the appropriate rituals
agonies – (Portugal, Azoreans) burning,
loss of breath, hysterical blindness,
sleeping/eating disturbances
brain fag syndrome – (West Africa, China)
intellectual and visual impairment with
burning sensation in head and neck, after
too much mental work (brain exhaustion)
Somatoform disorders


ataques de nervios – (Puerto Rico)
emotional events lead to palpitations,
numbness, heat rising to head
susto – (Central America) "soul loss"
resulting from frightful or traumatic
experiences – anorexia, diarrhea
Treating Disorders

Cleansing: the patient recounts the details
of the frightening event, then lies down on
the floor on the axis of a crucifix. The
victim's body is then brushed with a
bouquet of fresh herbs, while the
curandero and other participants recite
prayers. Depending on local custom, the
curandero may also jump over the victim's
body - this is thought by some to exhort
the frightened soul back into the body
Treating Disorders


Vimbuza (Malawi): Chilopa- animal sacrifice
Zar ritual: (Ethiopia) possessed person
gathers with family and a priestess,
animals and fruit are offered to the spirit
and then eaten, the victim inhales
cleansing scents and dances to drum
music, the priestess becomes possessed
with a spirit herself and makes peace with
the possessing spirit – possessed person is
instructed to keep peace with spirits (do
their bidding) to avoid relapse
Treating Disorders





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr
WZx6iRQ9c 3:08-4:05
Healing circles
Western: drugs, psychotherapy to
change thinking or behavior, confront
past experiences, interpersonal
What is the long-term prognosis for
treating a psychological disorder?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0
9kJdybTcvA until 2:36
Objectives


Describe how culture influences
physical health
Describe the differences in cultural
views of maintaining health and
treating illness
Physical Health

What role does culture play in our
overall physical health?


Psychological process linked with
physical health


Genes, diet, medical care, attitudes
stress
Psychological process shaped and
impacted by culture

emotion
Physical Health




Modern medicine bound by scientific
method, but reflects culture that produces
the scientists, doctors, and patients.
Different beliefs in cause of problems, lead
to different treatment practices…beware of
ethnocentrism!
http://www.unnaturalcauses.org/video_clip
s_detail.php?res_id=78
http://wn.com/native_american_healing_in
_the_21st_century_richheapecom?upload_t
ime=all_time&orderby=published