Presentation Information
[SY-25]Cultural Dimensions of Mental Health and Support Method: Refugees, Migrants and Psychotherapy
*Constantine David Della (University of the Philippines Manila(Philippines))
Keywords:
Culture and psychiatry,Culture and psychotherapy,Culture and mental health
Human beings are immersed in culture, and we need to recognize the cultural dimensions of mentalhealth and support methods. Refugees and migrants exhibit the most critical influence of culture onmental health. People with a migration or refugee background are often confronted with numerous stressand risk factors before, during, and after migration. The accumulation of these factors exerts a significantimpact on their mental health. Also, there are numerous barriers to accessing the healthcare system, suchas language and cultural communication problems, discrimination, social exclusion, bureaucratic hurdles,and the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act. As a support method for people, psychotherapy is an indispensablemodality, but cultural dimensions exist in psychotherapy, too. Modern psychotherapy and psychiatry weredeveloped in the West and based on the Western cultural model. A lack of understanding of the client'scultural norms can lead to misdiagnosis and possibly cause a severe limitation to the support. This may beparticularly true for refugees and migrants who are not from Western culture. This symposium provides abrief overview of statistical data, definitions of health and illness, explanatory models, treatmentexpectations, and specific disorders in the population with a history of migration or flight. We also discusscultural competence in psychotherapy, cultural consideration in psychotherapy, cultural aspects ofcountertransference, and consideration of values and ethics in diagnosis. The first speaker will give anoverview of data and facts about the mental health of migrants and refugees. The second speaker willfocus on cultural competence in psychotherapy for patients in consultation and liaison psychiatry. Thethird speaker will discuss cognitive behavioral therapy and Culture. The fourth speaker will analyze thecollectivist cultural aspects of countertransference to suicidal patients. The last speaker will discuss howpsychiatrists in Japan consider values and ethics in diagnosing Autism.