Dual vulnerabilities: Mental illness in a culturally and linguistically diverse society

Abstract

People from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds hold attitudes, values and beliefs surrounding health, illness and mental health issues that are not fully in harmony with Western approaches to health care. In particular, mental health services do not adequately meet the specific needs of CALD communities, a situation that is a violation of sound health care access and rights. A number of damning government reports highlight the inadequacies of the system. CALD groups that experience mental illness have the problem of dual vulnerabilities. They are disadvantaged on at least two fronts: The marginalization and stigmatization associated with mental illness and the access and utilization of services. This paper reviews the context of mental health service delivery in Australia. There is agreement that the needs of these people are only marginally being met at best despite individual and collective efforts to address the issue.

Trauma and Mental Health in Resettled Refugees: Mediating Effect of Host Language Acquisition on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms

“…Inability to understand or communicate appropriately with mental health providers not only impairs the communication itself, but is also a barrier to access and utilization of services (Crosby, 2013). In Australia alone, linguistic barriers are associated with inaccurate diagnosis of mental illness, low hospitalization rates, longer hospitalization duration, and greater rates of involuntary admissions (Cross & Singh, 2012;Pirkis, Burgess, Meadows, & Dunt, 2001). Language also influences the effectiveness of treatment (Miller, Martell, Pazdirek, Caruth, & Lopez, 2005) as it shapes understandings and expressions of distress and mental health symptomatology (Hollifield et al, 2002) and influences the establishment of rapport and trust (Miller et al, 2005).…”

Recommendations for Designing Health Information Technologies for Mental Health Drawn From Self-Determination Theory and Co-design With Culturally Diverse Populations: Template Analysis (Preprint)

“…For culturally diverse young nonurban Australians, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people of diverse genders and sexualities, inclusive of and not limited to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, questioning, and pansexual people (henceforth referred to as LGBTQIA+ people in this paper), and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people, multiple forms of inequality often intersect to create compounded barriers in the form of decreased mental health literacy, financial barriers, increased social and self-stigma, and a lack of mental health services compounded with geographic inaccessibility [7]. These culturally diverse groups experience both poorer mental health outcomes and reduced access to mental health care [9][10][11][12][13].…”

Recommendations for Designing Health Information Technologies for Mental Health Drawn From Self-Determination Theory and Co-design With Culturally Diverse Populations: Template Analysis

“…For culturally diverse young nonurban Australians, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people of diverse genders and sexualities, inclusive of and not limited to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, questioning, and pansexual people (henceforth referred to as LGBTQIA+ people in this paper), and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people, multiple forms of inequality often intersect to create compounded barriers in the form of decreased mental health literacy, financial barriers, increased social and self-stigma, and a lack of mental health services compounded with geographic inaccessibility [ 7 ]. These culturally diverse groups experience both poorer mental health outcomes and reduced access to mental health care [ 9 - 13 ].…”