“Women as Troublemakers”: The Hard Sociopolitical Context of Soft Bipolar Disorder in Iran

Mianji, Fahimeh; Kirmayer, Laurence J.

doi:10.1007/s11013-021-09743-4

Cited by 1 publication

(6 citation statements)

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“…In an earlier article ( Mianji & Kirmayer, 2021 ), we elaborated on patients’ experiences with and causal attributions of their mental health problems. Most participants explained their mental health problem as a form of neurologic illness ( narahati-asāb ), depression ( afsordegi ), or “pendular” depression ( afsordegi navasāni ; i.e., depression with mood swings).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There was no gender difference in the diagnostic labels or expressions used by participants with BSD. Also, the majority of participants, both male and female, attributed the causes of their mental health problems to external stressors ( Mianji & Kirmayer, 2021 ). This paper focuses on patients’ perspectives of the services and response to treatments.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Supplementary sections of the MINI explore help-seeking and pathways to care, treatment experience, adherence and impact of the illness on identity, self-perception, and relationships with others ( Groleau et al, 2006 ). In a previous paper ( Mianji & Kirmayer, 2021 ), we presented findings from sections of the MINI, including the patients’ illness experiences and explanatory models. In this paper, we focus on the findings based on data from the supplementary sections of the MINI that addressed help-seeking history and experience.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, generational differences in understanding, coping with, and seeking help for mental health problems are reported in studies in Iran. This is associated with a move from traditional pathways towards more biomedical interventions and popular psychology methods ( Behrouzan, 2016 ; Fatemi et al, 2015 ; Mianji & Kirmayer, 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This paper examines help-seeking strategies and treatment experiences among individuals diagnosed with BSD in Iran. In conjunction with our previous studies of professional diagnostic practices and case formulation ( Mianji & Kirmayer, 2021 ), the overall aim is to better understand the impact of a globalized psychiatry on mental health practice in Iran and the dilemmas created by a clinical psychiatric approach that does not integrate structural factors related to local social-cultural contexts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Help-seeking strategies and treatment experiences among individuals diagnosed with Bipolar Spectrum Disorder in Iran: A qualitative study

Mianji

Kirmayer

2022

Transcult Psychiatry

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Social, cultural, and structural factors are associated with delays in seeking help from mental health professionals and poor treatment adherence among patients with mood disorders. This qualitative study examined the perspectives on the services and response to treatments of individuals diagnosed with Bipolar Spectrum Disorder (BSD) in Iran through 37 in-depth semi-structured interviews with patients who had received BSD diagnosis and treatment (excluding Bipolar-I). Interviews explored two broad areas: 1) coping and help-seeking strategies; and 2) barriers to treatment and expectations of outcomes from treatment. Multiple factors influenced the help-seeking strategies and trajectories of patients with BSD diagnoses in Iran, including: structural limitations of the mental healthcare system; modes of practice of biological psychiatry; characteristics of the official psychology and counseling services permitted by Iran’s government; popular psychology and consultation (offered through social media from the diaspora) by Iranian psychologists and counsellors in the diaspora; and alternative spiritual and cult-based groups. To improve the quality and accessibility of mental health services, it is essential to have structural changes in the healthcare system that prioritize human rights and individuals’ values over the political and ideological values of the state and changes in the professions that promote secular training of mental healthcare providers and an ecosocial model of care.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%