Mental Health Disparities Within Different Cultures: By Emma Clark

 Dear School Counselors,

            I am a sophomore at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia. I am currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology with a minor in sociology. Studying social sciences and mental health issues is a top interest of mine. Most recently, I have been researching mental health disparities within different cultures and hope to spread my information to people who can help make a change. My home state is Wisconsin, so I investigated specific school districts in the state that may need some extra education on creating equalities within different ethnicities and cultures. 

My goal is to inform those with a higher power, especially those who hold power in school settings, information about cultural differences within the viewpoints on mental health and how people from different cultures are treated unequally due to their background. After learning some information and facts on this issue, I hope you can better understand how important it is to realize that people from all cultures and backgrounds deserve equality in how they are perceived and treated. This is important for everyday situations, but especially within mental health issues. Individuals everywhere are mistreated and not given the appropriate help they need for their mental health, and students are a significant number. As a school counselor, I hope that you can enforce education and better understand why this issue is critical.

            We have all experienced mental health problems, whether observational or personal. There is this notion that certain people don’t struggle with mental health or that mental health is not real for some. However, everyone has experienced mental health one way or another, and it can be a hard thing to cope with. Everyone views mental health differently. According to a recent article by National Council for Mental Wellbeing, “Every culture has a different way of looking at mental health. For many, there is a growing stigma around mental health, and mental health challenges are considered a weakness and something to hide. This can make it harder for those struggling to talk openly and ask for help” (2022). With this information, we need to make sure that students from all cultures and backgrounds know that mental health is normal and that there is a support system for them.

            People from different cultures perceive mental health differently through what mental health means, how they express it, and how they treat it. Nation Council for Mental Wellbeing also states, “Culture can influence how people describe and feel about their symptoms. It can affect whether someone chooses to recognize and talk about only physical symptoms, only emotional symptoms, or both” (2022). Every culture has its separate ways of understanding its own or others' mental health. There are also unique and interesting ways people from different cultures treat mental illness or mental health problems that western medicine ideals do not consider. An example within Native American culture from a blog called Native Hope, “Joseph Marshall, lll, renowned author/storyteller, believes the healing power of storytelling is instrumental to restoring Native people to a healthier lifestyle both mentally and physically” (2022). Another great example from Native Hope is, “In Native communities across the nation, cultural healing support groups work to educate members about historical trauma and its intergenerational effect. People address the source of their trauma and gain coping strategies within a group of people, all aiming for the same goal” (2022). Another significant way of coping with mental health problems is the practice of yoga and meditation within many cultures. There are many interesting ways of treatment that western ideals do not consider, and these western ideals do not help support those from these different cultures. 

             Along with different ways of perceiving mental health, many people are mistreated based on their skin color and other ideas about mental health. Many research studies showcase how people of color feel as if they cannot go seek help because they know that they will not be given equal treatment. According to an article by Perzichilli, “Research indicated that compared with people who are white, black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) are: less likely to have access to mental health services, less likely to seek out services, less likely to receive needed care, more likely to receive poor quality of care, and more likely to end services prematurely” (2020). Also, African American men are continuously overdiagnosed and underdiagnosed within mental health care. It was also stated that “Regarding racial disparities in misdiagnosis, black men, for example, are overdiagnosed with schizophrenia (four times more likely than white men to be diagnosed), while underdiagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder and mood disorders” (2020). These are just a couple of examples of how society doesn’t treat people of color or people from different backgrounds the same in helping with their mental health. 

            Disparities within different cultures need to be seen and understood. Society needs to be educated and informed about other cultural backgrounds and morals regarding how they perceive things, such as mental health. There are different perspectives and viewpoints on what mental health is and how to cope with it or treat it. Society doesn’t realize that other people suffer from mental health problems, but they don’t always have the same perspective on it. Everyone experiences mental health in their lives, so it is essential to ensure everyone is being treated equally and heard about what they want and what they think. There are multiple different ways of looking at mental health and different ways of wanting to treat it. So, instead of pushing western ideals into people’s minds about what we think mental health is, society needs to start understanding the differences between cultures. Also, instead of discriminating against people of color and treating them unequally, society needs to treat everyone from all backgrounds and ethnicities equally and give equal treatment and care. There is a lot to be done, but the end goal is to spread education on how there are different perspectives about mental health and that just because a group is from a different culture or background doesn’t mean their thoughts are wrong or that they deserve any less. 

            

I hope you can consider all of this and help make a change.

 

Thank you,

Emma Clark