Culture and mental health - A Southern African view

Abstract

This is a long awaited text within the field of mental health in South Africa, as there is very little written about culture and mental health within the specific context of South Africa. This book is very useful for students in any field of mental health like psychology, nursing, social work and medicine.
 
 *Please note: This is a reduced version of the abstract. Please refer to PDF for full text

Relationships between Adolescents and Adults: the Significance of Narrative and Context

“…The research was conducted in three different socio-cultural contexts in Cape Town -Ocean View, Fish Hoek and Masiphumelele. It should be noted, however, at the outset of this argument, that culture, considered in the past as a static, geographically bounded phenomenon, is in fact fluid, changing and diffuse (Swartz, 1998). The pictures that this paper presents, of the different meaning systems underlying the relationships that form in the three locations should not be understood as separated by impermeable boundaries.…”

“…As noted by Swartz (1998), acceptance of multicultural realities and of their consequences has become commonplace. Helman (quoted in Swartz, 1998: 6) defines culture as a "set of guidelines (both explicit and implicit) which individuals inherit as members of a particular society, and which tells them how to view the world, how to experience it emotionally, and how to behave in it in relation to other people."…”

Stigma and Marginalisation: Structural Violence and the Impact on Mental Health

“…Marginalisation can occur on the grounds of, for example, race (skin colour, hair form), nationality, gender, age, religion or any characteristic that is used to exclude people from resources that are available to others. These resources often include educational facilities, housing resources (including living in safe, well serviced areas), employment opportunities, medical services and political power (Coppock & Hopton, 2000;Swartz, 1998). "Certain groups within society such as women, children and refugees, are at particularly high risk of suffering from mental disorders and having their human rights overlooked or violated due to marginalization and discrimination."…”

The accuracy of interpreting key psychiatric terms by ad hoc interpreters at a South African psychiatric hospital

“…The term "interpreter" usually refers to a person who transfers the denotative as well as connotative meaning of a word or words in a spoken situation (as opposed to the term "translator" which refers to a person who translates written texts). 10 Interpreters can have a significant impact on the success of mental health services and must manage the dynamics of the clinician-patient interaction. 10 Interpreters must not only be fluent in both languages used; they commonly must also mediate cultural differences between clinician and patient.…”

“…10 Interpreters can have a significant impact on the success of mental health services and must manage the dynamics of the clinician-patient interaction. 10 Interpreters must not only be fluent in both languages used; they commonly must also mediate cultural differences between clinician and patient. 11 The 'third presence' of interpreters solves the immediate problem of the language barrier, but it creates other difficulties for the patient and clinician.…”