Emotional distress can occur regardless of a person’s background, though cultural and ethnic factors may influence how symptoms are presented and how cultures perceive these symptoms or seek help.
Our team has experience of treating people from diverse cultural and language backgrounds, including people who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and people from across the globe where English is not their first language.
- Stigma and discrimination – Some stigma around mental health can result in some refusing to recognize a problem. When a mental health problem isn’t recognized or acknowledged, people may not get the help they need.
- Different perspectives – Culture largely shapes the way we think about and understand mental health and wellness. Different people of different cultures have their own way of explaining mental health.
- Language – Lack of understanding through communication and language barriers can prevent you from accessing health services and materials. It can also lead to misinterpretations and misunderstandings between both the patient and the health professional.
We also understand that your ethnic and cultural background often influences mental health and conditions, how these factors affect the involvement of families in care and how these affect the options and outcomes of treatment.
Norwest Clinic clinicians will take extreme care to explore your cultural beliefs and discuss how best to include them in your treatment.
