The Tao of a peaceful mind: the representation of emotional health and healing in traditional Chinese literature

This paper explores the representation of emotional health and healing in traditional Chinese literature, and the holistic relationship between traditional Chinese mental medicine and literature as well as philosophy. The philosophical, moral and aesthetic significance assigned to emotional health and healing not only inspired but also mandated the representation of these subjects in Chinese literature. For many Chinese readers, emotional health is more than a medical concern but is integral to their moral and spiritual wholesomeness, the attainment of which necessarily involves the edifying role of literature. The literary representation of emotional health and healing gave rise to a subculture of emotional health and a medical dilettantism in Chinese society. The mutual inclusivity of the professional and the amateurish is peculiar to traditional Chinese mental medicine. While facilitating popular appreciation of emotional health and helping to validate the legitimacy and efficacy of emotional healing, such a phenomenon also caused a certain degree of charlatanization that undercut the rationality and validity of mental medicine. An investigation into the relationship between traditional Chinese literature and mental medicine provides an interdisciplinary perspective from which to examine the latter's history, theory, and practice, thus shedding a cross-cultural light on modern psychology and psychiatry.     

Mental illness and suicide in British South Asian adults

South Asians make up about 5% of the UK population. Their rates for mental illness and suicide have been shown by some researchers to be rather lower than that of the total UK population, using a variety of measures, and considering many psychiatric conditions. This paper reviews the literature on the extent of mental illness among British South Asian adults, and explores aspects of their service use, and their attitudes to mental illness. Some distinguishing features of British South Asian mental health are identified, including areas justifying further research. Variations in the South Asian population including generation, country of origin, religion, class, wealth and geography, emphasise the growing need to disaggregate this population when presenting data about them.     

“Chaotic soup of politics:” a Native American Indian mental health perspective

Through a grounded theory process, tribal politics emerged as a core theme from interviews with mental health providers (MHPs) and Native American Indian people experiencing persistent mental illness (PMI). Interviews were conducted over a four-year period with 13 Indian MHPs and administrators, and 18 persons experiencing PMI. Symbolic Interactionism was the informing framework. Findings indicate that reservation life promotes a high immersion in Eurocentric politics, which negatively affects the person with PMI in their maintenance of a healthy spirit balance. To be effective, MHPs need immersion in; the oneness of culture, spirituality, and politics of the community; knowledge of the tribal history; and communication with elders/spiritual leaders. This personal growth could facilitate provision of culturally responsive care needed for a client's navigation of intergovernmental regulations. MHPs should work for adequate funding policies of human service centers while supporting the establishment of indigenous governing practices through tribal sovereignty.     

The Balance Between Providing Support,Prolonging Suffering,and Promoting Death: Ethical Issues Surrounding Psychological Treatment of a Terminally Ill Client

The concept of moral identity based on virtue ethics has become an issue of considerable import in explaining moral behavior. This attempt to offer adequate explanations of the full range of morally relevant human behavior inevitably provokes boundary issues between ethics and moral psychology. In terms of the relationship between the two disciplines, some argue for “naturalized (or psychologized) morality,” whereas, on the other hand, others insist on “moralized psychology.” This article investigates the relationship between virtue ethics and moral identity based on previous research on the relationship between ethics and moral psychology. This article especially attempts to show that meaningful links between the two concepts possible by using theoretical frameworks constructed by the most influential philosophers of science such as Kuhn and Lakatos.     

The Impact of Life-Long Illness on Women: A Qualitative Study of Low Socio-Economic Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Patients

The purpose of this qualitative, ethnographic study was to explore the impact of a chronic disease on low socio-economic women with RA in South Africa. Ten women participants with a mean age of 48 years and a mean duration of RA of 10 years were obtained through purposive sampling from a public hospital RA clinic. In-depth individual interviews were conducted as a method of data collection. The interviews were tape recorded and transcribed for the data analysis. Grounded theory analysis was used which produced 3 primary categories around the impact of RA: (1) Physical impact, (2) Social and economic impact, and (3) Psychological impact; and 5 sub-categories, namely, Pain and poor Functional Status, Change in life-style following a weakened economic position, Change in the constitution of the “Self”, Change in the constitution of the “Self” of the spouse/partner, and Depression. Depression, pain and poor functional status are well known health outcomes for RA patients. Perceived change in the psychological concept of the “Self” is less frequently reported. The value of this study is that the concept of the self is further explored in chronically ill individuals as a ‘fluid’ one, with the potential for undergoing a complete transformation as a consequence of RA.     

South African Muslim Psychologists' Perceptions of Mental Illness

This study explored perceptions of mental illness in a sample of 10 female Muslim psychologists in a South African city to determine the influences of religion (and Islam specifically) on their understanding of the aetiology and treatment of mental illness. Participants responded to a semi-structured interview. The data from the interviews were thematically analyzed. Four themes emerged from the analysis: mental illness as maladaptive coping, religion as a resource for wellbeing, influences of personal religiosity on therapy and openness to collaborative treatment     

Cultural Embeddedness of Health,Illness and Healing: Prospects for Integrating Indigenous and Western Healing Practices

Culture influences conceptualizations about illness, health and healthcare. In this article we argue that Western-oriented health care models have limited success when applied to health conditions of people of non-Western cultures and contend that culture is an important factor in health, illness and healing. We present two cultural modes of illness and healing to illustrate that many health conditions are meaningful and can be effectively managed with consideration of the cultural contexts of the communities concerned. We illustrate, by case examples, how these cultural conceptualisations influence the treatment of illness in three different cultural settings. In addition, we identify some of the key challenges to integrating traditional healing into counselling and psychotherapy. Integration of different cultural healthcare models is a best practice in comprehensive context sensitive delivery of healthcare.     

Occupational Therapy in the Rehabilitation of the Patient with Anorexia Nervosa

The first part of this paper develops an ecological and rehabilitative stance for the occupational therapist in relation to the anorexic patient. Maximizing the individual's level of psychosocial functioning is regarded as the primary aim of treatment. A model for approaching the anorexic patient is described which examines environmental factors, and the importance of assessment and follow up. The cognitive behavioral approach is discussed and suggestions are made for adapting it to the occupational therapist's orientation towards practical activity. In the second part of the paper concrete suggestions for therapy are made.