文化意识及其对心理健康的影响

There is a common misconception that mental health only has to do with the individual person. However, research shows that genetics, community, social factors, 文化对一个人的心理健康都有影响, 包括其对内部和外部的影响, as well as the extent of available treatment—if resources are available at all.

Culture is often seen as a set of established beliefs held by a certain group of people that have been developed across generations. 一个人的文化可能会影响他们对事物的理解和接受 精神健康障碍与诊断. Essentially, culture can determine whether someone acknowledges that something may not be normal or that a previous behavior has substantially changed. 这会影响他们寻求帮助的决定, what types of help they seek, 他们的应对方式和社会支持, 以及他们对精神疾病的污名化程度.

而护士必须照顾病人的 diverse physical needs他们对自己的心理健康也有责任. Nurses must incorporate these cultural needs and beliefs into their nursing practice to provide sensitive, individualized patient care. 文化也可能在患者的认知中发挥作用, 还有医疗保健和疾病的经历.

心理健康是如何被感知的

Take a moment to consider how your background can impact your understanding of a mental health diagnosis. Did you grow up surrounded by the stigma that mental health was not something to be discussed or that it wasn’t real? Or were you educated on the impact of mental health on the body and all that it entails? 在回顾这些问题和你的答案之后, it might be concluded that your outlook was impacted in some way by your environment.

How you were raised can deeply impact how a mental health diagnosis is perceived. Based on these views, nurses can implement different strategies and interventions to accommodate these various culture-bound perceptions.

How Symptoms Are Expressed

Consider how you might react if a patient came to you expressing these symptoms:

• Restlessness
• Increased heart rate
• 呼吸急促(换气过度)
• 出汗，颤抖，感觉虚弱或疲倦
• 出现胃肠道问题
• Trouble sleeping

作为医疗保健从业者，您可以识别常见的症状 generalized anxiety disorder, but your patient may not recognize these indicators as a physical manifestation of their anxiety. 这种情况发生的频率可能比你意识到的要高. The effects of one’s culture can also affect which symptoms someone chooses to discuss. According to research, Asians with depression tend to focus on physical symptoms while underreporting mood and anxiety symptoms. This has led to under-recognition and undertreatment of depression among the Asian population.

Healthcare providers must be cognizant of the fact that some expressed symptoms may be culturally driven and without any knowledge of their psychiatric mental health signs and symptoms.

How You Cope with Stress

文化也会影响一些群体应对压力的方式. 而有些人则通过公开讨论来减轻压力, others choose an avoidance route where they might ignore the stress or its accompanying emotions. For example, African American groups are more likely than Caucasians to handle personal problems and distress on their own or to rely on their spirituality for support than to seek out external resources.

如果你能进入一个让你感到支持和倾听的环境, 你可能更愿意寻求心理健康方面的帮助. Research indicates that minority groups within the United States are less likely to seek treatment and are also more likely to delay getting treatment than Caucasians in this nation. 

Who Will You Ask for Help

Your cultural experience can also determine the kind of help that is sought for psychiatric mental health. Research shows that minority groups within the United States are more likely to seek treatment for a mental health disorder outside of a mental health professional. This can include their primary care physician and non-healthcare resources such as a member of the clergy or nontraditional healers.

Though nurse practitioners have the resources to assist patients with their mental health, 他们可能并不总是一个舒适的选择. Nurses must develop and integrate open-mindedness which can lead to innovative, non-traditional, alternative nursing interventions such as spiritually-based therapies like meditation and anointing to provide care for their patient.

It's important to recognize that psychiatric mental health professionals, including nurses, 是否受到自身文化背景的影响. To provide the best care, you and your fellow healthcare providers must work to overcome any cultural biases you may hold toward individuals with mental disorders or other health conditions to ensure you can effectively treat and help your patients. Nurses, in particular, should acknowledge their own cultural biases and strive to approach every client with understanding, acceptance, and respect, 不管文化习俗的差异, values, beliefs or perceptions.