MENTAL HEALTHCARE

Culture, Gender and its impact on Mental Health in Africa

Culture, Gender and its impact on Mental Health in Africa

Introduction

Mental health can be explained as a psychological and emotional condition of an individual. This is simply a balance between the entire expressions of life that includes spiritual, physical and emotional journey. According to World Health Organization, mental health is a condition of well being, in which the person understands his own capabilities (www.who.int). Moreover, mental disorder is a complex term which defines that something is wrong with the psychological conditions of the men. It is comprised on broader symptoms which are classified by the combination of abnormal emotions, thoughts, relationships and behavior with others. Usually mental sickness is considered by the sternness of symptoms which can be frequently diagnosed on an evaluation of the symptoms effects on its functioning (World Health Organization, 2010).

The two key diagnostic characterization used by the professionals of mental health are designed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV) and the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). In the year of 2013, the DSM is expected to update the 5th Version. The region of Africa understands the significance of mental health. For example, the global emphasis on the non communicable diseases has chief four conditions, which includes chronic respiratory, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes. Moreover, the high commonness of communicable illnesses such as tuberculosis, malaria and HIV are deeply related with mental illness (Mary, 2013). This paper is intended to reflect the cultural and social contexts of mental health in the region of Africa and the recent tools of care. Inequalities in mental health and gender discrimination are parallel on a similar line. Africa is a region that greatly suffers from this cost and still survives to fight with such illnesses (Dowler and Spencer, 2007).

Discussion

Culture can be broadly outlined as a common set of norms, beliefs and values which refers to the traits of a group. The society and culture play an important role in mental illness and mental health. Different institutions of health and its professionals, where they get their trainings in a traditional way explained that mental health is linked to culture and gender. This shows that clinics consult treatments, symptoms and diagnosis in the way of observing their cultural trend and background. The mental illness is diagnosable as it is classified by abnormalities in behaviors, feelings and thinking. Mental diseases are deeply related with the vulnerability in both its effects and causes. Internationally, around 14% of the heavy global rate of diseases is accounted to mental illness. Almost 75% found in the underdeveloped county that also include the continent of Africa. In the year of 2002, mental disorders are attributed as the total burden of diseases and 19% Africans in disability (Mary, 2013). The heavy load of depression is basically important for calculating the percentage of disability ratio. However, mental illness is a key cause of morbidity and also the burden on the families, patients and society ...