What is mental illness? According to an online medical dictionary it is “any of various psychiatric conditions, usually characterized by impairment of an individual's normal cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning, and caused by physiological or psychosocial factors. Also called mental disease, mental disorder" (n.d.). This seems like a reasonable definition but the problem with this is when compared to that of an aboriginal perspective towards mental illness, the conventional definition, created by western society, focuses too much on individual pathology, seeing mental health issues as diseases and disorders to be cured. When mental health issues are looked at through an aboriginal perspective they do not look at it as a disease central to just the mind, but rather they tend to get looked at in a more holistic way. (Native Mental Health Association of Canada [NMHAC], 2007, p.6) That is they tend to see mental health issues as an imbalance between body, spirit, mind, and emotions, all of which are seen as being interconnected and in harmony with one another (NMHAC, 2007, p.6).
When one area in a person’s life is not balanced and in harmony it means that they are under distress, in either the physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental aspects of their lives (Brown, Ian. 2003, p. 2). Distress meaning bad stress, or “a state in which our coping abilities begin to break down” (Brown, I. 2003, p.1) and has surpassed our ability to deal with it. In the case of aboriginals, whose “most serious mental health problems are depression, substance abuse, family violence, high rates of suicide in certain communities, mental disorders, and grief...” (Brown, I. 2003, p.2) it could be said that these occurrences are the results of imbalances in one’s life and in order to correct it measures must be taken that look at the individual as a whole. One example of how this was done was given in Ian Brown’s (2003) article which described a case study by Dianne Reid:
who went on to tell the story of a hospitalized patient diagnosed as suffering from mental, emotional and physical damage. “According to the psychiatrist treating this patient, each of these afflictions had to be treated separately. However, an Elder involved with the case showed that all of these states were intertwined, including a spiritual dimension which was missing entirely from the psychiatrist’s diagnosis. The Elder was able to disentangle the threads and heal the individual.” (p.5)
This example shows just how much aboriginal’s knowledge isn’t just something to be looked at as an alternative to modern practices, but should be embraced and intertwined with today’s mental health initiatives. With this example, as well as others, organizations and associations, such as the NMHAC, are developing and implementing plans to help aboriginal people dealing with mental health issues by promoting the holistic approach towards mental health. Plans such as the NMHAC’s Ten-Year Strategic Plan, described in the article charting the Future of Native Mental Health in Canada (2007), are working to promote aboriginal mental wellbeing and are devising plans that include the involvement of the whole community. Those communities would work at educating the people about mental health issues, promoting connectedness and communication within their communities to ensure that no one is isolated from the rest of the people, and encourage personal and community empowerment, among other things. Much is still to be done in this approach to mental health, and although it may not be widely popular in mainstream society just yet, in aboriginal communities all over the country this approach appears to have much successful among the aboriginal population.
- Jody
References
Brown, I. (2003). Mental Health and Wellness in Aboriginal Communities. InTouch Vol. 26. Retrieved From http://www.niichro.com/2004/pdf/INtouch/in-touch-vol-26.pdf
Mental Illness. (n.d.). In Medical Dictionary Online. retrieved from http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/mental+illness
Native Medical Health Association of Canada. (2007). Charting the Future of Native Mental Health in Canada Retrieved From http://www.nmhac.ca/documents/Final_NMHAC_STRATEGIC_PLAN_April_07[1].pdf
-
The spiritual component is definitely an interesting one to consider, most of us don't even consider it when we look at our own well being! And most of us would not even know where to begin in making sure we are spiritually in check. I would assume this would be where the community would look the elder for support?
ReplyDeleteKel
Great post! There's so much emphasis on Western medicine in our society, most people don't know what else is out there. Major drugs companies have such a strong influence on our health care and we're so bombarded with mass marketing that the majority of our population is blinded from other alternatives, such as holistic medicinal practices. I hope to see more resources available for people to learn about such alternatives in the near future!
ReplyDelete- Julia
Great post Jody. Since learning about the Aboriginal perspective on Emotion, Spiritual, Physical and Mental well-being, it makes so much sense to me than a more Westernized ideology that is practiced today. I know Nursing has attempted to make strides in this department, but that emotional, mental and spiritual needs are passed off to someone else (usually Spiritual care services, Social Work or Mental Health Specialists). From my own experiences, it is amazing to see how much better a patient will feel when they are able to address something beyond the physical issue. Spirituality is also starting to take the place of Religion, in recognition that there is more than just one religion out there. I hope that Medicine and Nursing will realise how important all other aspects are when used in conjunction to physical care.
ReplyDelete~Shauna