Mental health month is about spreading awareness, breaking stigma, and creating an inclusive environment which are aspects that all relate to culture as it is a large part of everyone’s lives and how they act. Culture influences a person by prioritizing certain values which can lead to differences in individuals and creates a definition of what is acceptable to express in society. Cultures may be created around something as large as a nation, or small as a school such as clubs, a place that represents a social community. Those communities can work to better the mental health of the individuals.
In support of those struggling with mental health issues, the USO (United Service Organization) hosted an awareness month event in Sabeso Japan. In celebration of the month, they created a mental health awareness fair along with several other organizations such as the CFAS (Council Faculty and Academic Societies). It included games, prizes, and the people who attended were provided with mental health resources.
To many people, mental health has been defined as a person’s emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. It affects resilience, the way a person thinks, and the way they feel. It is one of the biggest aspects of a person’s life that can cause, or reduce, stressors that may lead to mental disorders. In recent years, mental health and mental disorders have become a more accepted concept. But there are still common places such as schools where talking about mental disorders carries an unspoken taboo. In schools and related places, mental disorders are seen as private matters since these conditions affect a person’s thinking, behavior, and mood.
Although many people may lack disorders, this does not mean that they have good mental health. Good mental health refers to a state of overall well-being that enables individuals to effectively manage everyday stressors and function optimally in various aspects of life. Even though people may attempt to have good mental health, there is a factor out of a person’s control, being trauma which can lead to emotional dysregulation.
Trauma is when the brain does not process an event and is caused by deeply distressing experiences that may occur during childhood. Due to this, when trauma occurs along with emotional dysregulation, it could lead to further problems since facing a person’s trauma will be even more difficult when they have trouble responding to a past event. An outcome of trauma is PTSD, which is often developed through experiences like war, extreme injuries, or near-death experiences. Culture can affect the manifestation of PTSD. An example being in Korea, men between the ages of 18 to 35 must enlist in the military for a minimum of two years. Although some exceptions are made, this is often mandatory for most of the male citizens.
There are also cultural elements that relate to a person’s development by affecting their ideologies, attitudes, and social conditions. An example of this is how in Singapore, people value independence, and focus on traditional Asian values. Because of how close their families are, the people become vulnerable to dysregulation which can cause behavioral problems. This relates to many highschool students as highschool is a time where people learn to be independent, but are still very well socially connected to peers.
In different cultures behavioral issues may not be considered problems. This is because some symptoms are seen as more acceptable to present than others. Not only the diagnosis of disorders can vary between cultures, but expression of emotion as well. An example of this is how people in China tend not to be direct with stating the ones they love, or their love for a person. They speak indirectly, often naming things about the person they love but not the person themselves. While in America, saying phrases like “I love you” is quite common in songs, writings and speech.
The impact of culture in a person’s life is everywhere, whether it is age, gender, race, or expectations. There are several key aspects in which culture affects mental health, such as impacting the diagnosis of mental disorders by changing the definition of what generally accepted norms are. This all comes to show how important it is that people are aware of these effects since if one is aware of these aspects they can act upon it. This can be done through expressing one’s emotions more clearly rather than indirectly, or simply acknowledging that it is acceptable to ask for help from others.
