Introduction
The psychological state of people is usually changed with time. It is closely connected with psychological problems suffered by a person during his life. Very often people experience mental disorders due to such problems. Abnormal psychology examines and predicts unusual and strange people’s behavior connected with mental problems. The process of treatment is very complicated and takes a lot of observations and procedures. The mental health of the nations should be controlled by systematic programs in order to prevent such disorders among the population.
Main body
Specialists in mental health medicine worked out and researched various possible reasons for the mental problems increase. They are connected with the following factors:
- Stresses which can result in the inappropriate perception of reality;
- Discomfort is usually caused by constant depressions and anxiety;
- Dysfunction. This factor is closely connected with the wrong identification of the person’s role in the world;
Very often the level of mental disorders in the nation depends on the cultural lifestyle and values of people. For example, racial minorities who have vivid subcultural differences are considered to have abnormal behavior and mental problems. Cultural context is the main background for abnormal behavior in society. The culture was proved to play a significant role in the formation of human behavior. Its standards and moral values are transmitted within the nation for further individual adaptation and social growth.
The representatives of different ethnic groups such as Irish, Jewish, and Polish may share one and the same culture; thus they have a common classification of the race. People living in one social group and sharing common interests though being the representatives of different nations possess one culture. For example, national groups living in the USA are united under one common culture. These facts are very important for national behavior formation because culture affects people’s mental state and the way it is treated within this or that culture.
According to some researches on the mental health state of the population carried out in the USA, about 55% of the interviewed appeared to have an impaired psychological state of health. The report created by the representatives of the Mental Health Organization showed that about 38% managed to suffer mental disorders in their life. The results were really shocking. About 2,5 million Americans appeared to be schizophrenics. It depends on many social and cultural factors developed within the society.
Costs spent in the USA for the treatment of mental disorder were rapidly increased to 2 trillion dollars according to the recent data provided by the government. These costs are very important for those clients who cannot pay for the service of the therapy of mental diseases treatment. Such health programs aimed at health assurance are carried out in every country, within every nation.
According to psychopathology, there is no gender discrimination in the level of disorders affection. Nevertheless, men and women have different rates of mental disorders as was proved by health specialists. It can be explained by the social factors developed in society. Thus, chronic alcoholism level spread among men is one of the reasons for the mental disorders. Women can suffer mental problems because of constant depressions and stress caused by social and private misunderstandings. But nevertheless, all people despite gender have an equal threat to suffer mental diseases.
People live in a multicultural society. The USA is a mixture of many different nations which is the result of the great level of immigration. The number of Africans and Hispanic Americans living in the USA is constantly increasing together with the level of mental disorders among them. It is closely connected with the fact that Americans, Africans, and Hispanic Americans are to share one culture being of different races, ethnicity, and nations. Such a situation resulted in the formation of the new study branch called multicultural psychology. As a matter of example, one can compare Americans, Asians, and African Americans.
Thus, Americans believe that psychopathological problems result from emotional and psychological disorders. In the American culture people with some mental disorders are under the pressure of society which leads to the development of the disease. The main reason for the cultural influence on the Africans’ mental health is the problem of racial discrimination. Living in atmosphere of fixed cultural discrimination Africans’ may suffer mental psychopathological disorders. In the Asian culture, the problems of psychopathological disorders are considered to be of great shame for the population. They would rather accept physical problems than mental ones.
Comparing and contrasting the level of the mental disorders within different nations’ mental health psychologists should try to improve the national mental health with the help of the following stages:
- They should try to work out therapy approaches that would be helpful for different nations equally;
- It is necessary to raise cultural sensitivity;
- Mental health specialists are to examine and study lifestyles and world looks of different nations in order to find the appropriate methods for the treatment of the disorder.
Conclusion
Thus, the research carried out showed that the level of mental disorders depends on cultural factors. The main reason for the mental diseases increase among the population is its multicultural structure which makes people share one common culture though different nations have various values and perceptions of life. Abnormal psychology covers a lot of mental health care aspects and is very complicated in its structure. It was shown that mental disorders are common within the social group people live in.
The factors being the reason for mental diseases are predominantly intercultural and social. Mental health care specialists are to develop different approaches and programs aimed at the decrease of the national mental disorders level. The governments not only of the USA but of all other countries have to provide costs for the treatment of such disorders in order to improve the health state of the nations.
References
Sue, David & Derald Wink, Sue, & Sue, Stanley. Understanding Abnormal Behavior. Eighth Edition.
Wittchen, H. U. Size and Burden of Mental Disorders in Europe. European Neuropsychopharmacology. 2006.