Suchergebnisse

"Are religious practices involving seeing visions and speaking in tongues beneficial or detrimental to mental health? Do some cultures express distress in bodily form because they lack the linguistic categories to express distress psychologically? Do some religions encourage clinical levels of obsessional behaviour? And are religious people happier than others? By merging the growing information on religion and mental health with that on culture and mental health, Kate Loewenthal enables fresh perspectives on these questions. This book deals with different psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia, manic disorders, depression, anxiety, somatization and dissociation as well as positive states of mind, and analyses the religious and cultural influences on each."--Jacket

In a semi-structured interview study we examined the views of 59 adult women from five cultural–religious groups in Britain (black Christian, white Christian, Hindu, Jewish and Muslim) on the efficacy of different forms of help for depression and schizophrenia. We compared the perceived effectiveness of religious help with psychopharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions. Religious factors were viewed as more important for depression than for schizophrenia. Of the possible religious interventions, prayer was most often seen as helpful. Between-group differences are described. Religious factors were clearly seen as important in managing mental illness, and this has implications for help-seeking and adherence.

Background: There is political and scientific goodwill towards the provision of culture-sensitive support, but as yet little knowledge about how such support works and what are its strengths and difficulties in practice. Aims: To study groups offering culture-sensitive psychological and other support to the strictly orthodox Jewish community in London. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with service providers, potential and actual users from the community, and professionals serving the community. Interviews asked about the aims, functioning and achievements of 10 support groups. Results: Thematic analysis identified seven important themes: admiration for the work of the groups; appreciation of the benefits of culture-sensitive services; concerns over confidentiality and stigma; concerns over finance and fund-raising; concerns about professionalism; the importance of liaison with rabbinic authorities; need for better dissemination of information. Conclusions: The strengths and difficulties of providing culture-sensitive services in one community were identified. Areas for attention include vigilance regarding confidentiality, improvements in disseminating information, improvements in the reliability of funding and attention to systematic needs assessment, and to the examination of efficacy of these forms of service provision.

Acknowledgements -- Contents -- Contributors -- About the Editors -- Chapter-1 -- Introduction: Making a Jewish Contribution to the Social Sciences: What Are Jewish Social Values and Why Do They Matter? -- Meaning of Jewish Social Values -- An Ethic of Engagement -- Universalism in Jewish Thought -- Making a Jewish Contribution -- Jewish Medical and Business Ethics -- The Current State of Jewish Social Values -- Summary of the Book -- Conclusion -- References -- Part I -- Education -- Chapter-2 -- Self-Regulation Among Students: Sharpening the Questions -- Introduction -- Overview of Chapter -- Student Learning and Development: Self-Regulation -- Research on Self-Regulation -- Belongingness is a Reason to Self-Regulate -- A Jewish Approach to Self-Regulation -- A Note on Jewish Sources -- Two Jewish Ways to Build Self-Regulation Capacity -- Some Examples of Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches Based on Jewish Ideas and Practices -- Social and Environmental Context -- Social Exclusion -- Self-Regulation and Future Orientation -- Applying These Approaches to Nonreligious Youth -- Implications for Educational Change -- The Childhood Roots of Adult Quality of Life -- Self-Regulation and Whole School Reform -- Students' Self-Regulation and Adults Who Care About Them -- Seeking Adult Guidance -- Disrupting Students' Unconscious Internal Responses -- Future Orientation -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 3 -- Introduction -- Introducing the Interventions -- Brief Summary of the Relevant Literature -- Background Research Information for the Four-Part Curricular Intervention -- Descriptive, Explanatory, Peer Strategies and Strengths Information -- Descriptive Information -- Explanatory Information -- Peer Strategies Information -- Strengths Information -- Inclusion Considerations -- Curricular Intervention.