Key Q: How Do Different Societies Define Mental Health Disorders?
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A level (Clinical Psychology) Psychology Mapa Mental sobre Key Q: How Do Different Societies Define Mental Health Disorders?, creado por Katie Greensted el 31/05/2019.
Key Q: How Do Different Societies
Define Mental Health Disorders?
Diagnostic manuals are used over the
world in order to define and categorise
different disorders. For example, the DSM
is now in its fifth edition, and the ICD is in
its tenth. They are used to diagnose
disorders through the use of lists of
symptoms for each disorder.
The DSM is an American
system, but is used in other
cultures with clearly defined
categories, symptoms and
features of disorders.
Lee (2006): found the DSM was valid for
ADHD in a non-western culture. However,
these results are not generalisable to
other disorders as he only tested ADHD
and not disorders such as schizophrenia.
Societies hold their own beliefs which
makes defining mental health
disorders different for different
societies. There are differing beliefs,
attitudes and courses and outcomes
for disorders.
For example, in the USA, hearing
voices is seen as unusual
behaviour. However, in other
non-western societies, hearing
voices is an "exceptional" and
religious experience.
Jablensky found that in western societies, schizophrenia is
largely characterised by depression, thought insertions.
However, in non-western societies, schizophrenia was
characterised more by auditory and visual delusions. This
supports the idea that disorders vary in different societies
and therefore may be defined differently.
Culture bound syndromes exist in different
societies. These are disorders which only appear in
certain societies and nowhere else, making it
difficult to universally define mental health as
certain societies may not be familiar with certain
disorders, and misdiagnose a disorder as
something else (especially in a world where
different cultures and now mixing in the same
society).
An example of a culture bound
syndrome is Koro, which was a
crippling fear of shrinking
organs in Singapore.
Section 3 of the DSM 5 acknowledges the
existence of culture bound syndromes such as
'penis panics', which suggests that we are
getting closer to a diagnostic tool which can be
used universally by different societies to define
mental disorders.
The stigmatisation of mental health
disorders differs between societies,
making how they define mental health
disorder differ too. For example, a
society where mental health is
stigmatised highly will define them
differently to a more open society.
The stigmatisation of mental
illness can halt progression and
understanding of mental health
disorders and treatment
because people do not want to
come forward to be diagnosed.
Abdullah and Brown found that in different
American-Indian tribes, some tribes stigmatised no
disorders, some stigmatised all disorders, and some
only stigmatised some disorders. This suggests that
different societies stigmatise mental illness
differently and therefore the way they define
mental health disorders is affected by this,
Having a universal definition for
mental health is important for
society as it could help increase
understanding of mental health,
funding and treatment
effectiveness.
It is vital that clinicians understand
different cultures in regard to diagnosis
so they their diagnoses are valid, as
well as the treatment they select for the
individual is the most appropriate.
Chandrasena (check) found that in Sri Lanka, there
was less early intervention with drug treatment.
This suggests that perhaps the cultural differences
between societies is not the problem, but it is in
fact an issue with the availability of treatment in
different societies which is the biggest issue in
defining and treating mental illness.