Title: Cultural Perspectives on Mental Health
Headings: Module 7: Cultural Perspectives on Mental Health
Module 7: Cultural Perspectives on Mental Health
Stigma, Discrimination, and Mental Health
Cultural Perspectives on Mental Illness
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Footnotes

Content: In 2001, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified stigma and discrimination towards mentally ill individuals as “the single most important barrier to overcome in the community”, and the WHO’s Mental Health Global Action Programme (mhGAP) cited advocacy against stigma and discrimination as one of its four core strategies for improving the state of global mental health. ( 4) (5)
Cultural Perspectives on Mental Illness
Attitudes toward mental illness vary among individuals, families, ethnicities, cultures, and countries. Cultural and religious teachings often influence beliefs about the origins and nature of mental illness, and shape attitudes towards the mentally ill. In addition to influencing whether mentally ill individuals experience social stigma, beliefs about mental illness can affect patients’ readiness and willingness to seek and adhere to treatment. ( 6) Therefore, understanding individual and cultural beliefs about mental illness is essential for the implementation of effective approaches to mental health care. Although each individual’s experience with mental illness is unique, the following studies offer a sample of cultural perspectives on mental illness. A review of ethnocultural beliefs and mental illness stigma by Abdullah et al. ( 2011) highlights the wide range of cultural beliefs surrounding mental health. For instance, while some American Indian tribes do not stigmatize mental illness, others stigmatize only some mental illnesses, and other tribes stigmatize all mental illnesses. In Asia, where many cultures value “conformity to norms, emotional self-control, [and] family recognition through achievement”, mental illnesses are often stigmatized and seen as a source of shame. (