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Incorporating Cultural Background into Psychiatric Care

Hafsah Ali - Department of Psychiatry


In 2021, the American Psychiatric Association, one of the leaders of psychiatric care in the United States, apologized for their contributions to structural racism within psychiatry to racial and ethnic minorities. They promised to make changes in the disparities of mental health care that have been ingrained into the foundation of psychiatry. Unfortunately, the past practice of refusing proper care for mental health disorder patients of color continues to affect patients to this day. Due to the history of the health sciences experimentation on minorities, distrust prevails within the medical system. Minority patients are less likely to seek psychiatric care compared to their white counterparts. When they receive care, they are less likely to be taken seriously and treated accurately.


Part of the solution to rectifying structural racism is psychiatrists need to become more culturally aware and sensitive and include culture within their care plan for the patient. This era of healthcare has moved towards shared decision-making; this means that psychiatrists should learn and work towards incorporating cultural beliefs into mental health care. A study completed in 2013 showed that minority patients were more satisfied with their mental health care when the physician acknowledged the patient's cultural background and incorporated it into their treatment plans [1].


Overall, ethnic and racial minorities continue to experience the effects of structural racism within psychiatric care. Patients feel as though their cultural background, which plays a significant role in one's mental health, continues to be overlooked by health professionals. The way to move forward is to create an environment where current and future psychiatrists continue to learn multicultural backgrounds and incorporate it, with their patients' partnership, into their treatment plans to create more satisfaction and response to therapy.


References:

  1. Meyer OL, Zane N. THE INFLUENCE OF RACE AND ETHNICITY IN CLIENTS’ EXPERIENCES OF MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT. Journal of Community Psychology. 2013;41(7):884-901. doi:10.1002/jcop.21580

  2. McGuire TG, Miranda J. New evidence regarding racial and ethnic Disparities in Mental Health: Policy implications. Health Affairs. 2008;27(2):393-403. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.27.2.393


Edited by Aarti Palaniappan - Explorative Section Editor

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