Mental Health in African Perspective: A psycho-spiritual approach to understanding the meaning, manifestation and cultural relevance of metal disorders in African perspective
Book Details
Author(s)Hugh Izuchukwu
ISBN / ASINB016WENNBU
ISBN-13978B016WENNB3
Sales Rank797,903
MarketplaceUnited States 🇺🇸
Description
The study and understanding of cultural factors in mental health in Africa has attracted very little or no attention due to the negative and false beliefs about what mental disorders really mean.
There is resultant unwarranted sympathy, isolation and stigmatization of people who demand attention, hence Africans are known to be skeptical and really conservative towards presenting cases to mental health professionals.
This book, "Mental Health in African Perspective" is a very bold step in demystifying mental disorders in order to illustrate and localize the points that:
1. Mental health and Mental illness are expressions that denote levels of difficulty in adjustment to distress and distress conditions.
2. Mental illness is not the opposite of Mental health as both conditions overlap in 1 out of every 4 persons in the society.
3. It affects all classes of persons despite age, education, socio-economic status, and profession.
4. Culture, tradition and societal norms are very relevant in determining mental health and illnesses.
5. The functional trinity of Body, Mind, and Spirit need to be recognized and respected in handling mental disorders for Holistic health.
6. People who manifest certain behaviours categorized as madness (mental illness) in the African context, have earlier shown some patterns of behaviour that seemed abnormal to their family, friends and workplace, but were neglected, misunderstood and often rejected.
7. Knowledge about mental health and mental illnesses has undergone various advancements with the vast events following the end of the Second World War, the continuous decline in belief on drugs and the medical model, and growth in psychology and psychological medicine.
8. Psychotherapy acts as a guideline or road-map through which a Clinical Psychologist works in agreement with a person to formulate a process for self-understanding, self-management, and self-control in accordance to cultural expectations.
The purpose of this small handbook is to trigger and wet the reading appetite of Africans and thereby enable them to become interested in learning about certain helpful guidelines on the real and unbiased meaning of mental health, mental well-being and mental illness.
There is resultant unwarranted sympathy, isolation and stigmatization of people who demand attention, hence Africans are known to be skeptical and really conservative towards presenting cases to mental health professionals.
This book, "Mental Health in African Perspective" is a very bold step in demystifying mental disorders in order to illustrate and localize the points that:
1. Mental health and Mental illness are expressions that denote levels of difficulty in adjustment to distress and distress conditions.
2. Mental illness is not the opposite of Mental health as both conditions overlap in 1 out of every 4 persons in the society.
3. It affects all classes of persons despite age, education, socio-economic status, and profession.
4. Culture, tradition and societal norms are very relevant in determining mental health and illnesses.
5. The functional trinity of Body, Mind, and Spirit need to be recognized and respected in handling mental disorders for Holistic health.
6. People who manifest certain behaviours categorized as madness (mental illness) in the African context, have earlier shown some patterns of behaviour that seemed abnormal to their family, friends and workplace, but were neglected, misunderstood and often rejected.
7. Knowledge about mental health and mental illnesses has undergone various advancements with the vast events following the end of the Second World War, the continuous decline in belief on drugs and the medical model, and growth in psychology and psychological medicine.
8. Psychotherapy acts as a guideline or road-map through which a Clinical Psychologist works in agreement with a person to formulate a process for self-understanding, self-management, and self-control in accordance to cultural expectations.
The purpose of this small handbook is to trigger and wet the reading appetite of Africans and thereby enable them to become interested in learning about certain helpful guidelines on the real and unbiased meaning of mental health, mental well-being and mental illness.
