Poverty in Spirit

By Mairead Widby

Special to Tribal Connections

Mental health. It can mean so many different labels to each of us: a difficult bipolar boss, depressed sister-in-law, antisocial friend. Not surprisingly, several recent academic studies of multicultural mental health programs present two major problems facing modern indigenous peoples: first, attempts by members of the dominant culture to interpret native behavior through norms not shared by the tribal culture, and secondly, a continuing colonial attempt to convert others to a "better" culture. A survey of current academic literature, government agency statistics, and interviews with native experts reveals what is now being done to blend cultural practices with mainstream medications and therapy in order to tackle this critical need.

For example, nearly 20 million American adults are living with major depression. The percentages of Natives that are afflicted is significantly higher than the rates of Caucasians suffering from depression. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, inadequate treatment and misdiagnosis occurs much more often in minority communities, usually due to such factors as: a general mistrust of medical health experts; cultural barriers; socioeconomic factors; and reliance on the religious community and family during times of distress.

"It's easy to track what we already know: Indians with mental health problems are poor in all ways and we need much better self-esteem," says Dr. Luana Ross, an associate professor in the Women's Studies department at the University of Washington and co-director of the Native Voices program in the Communication department. "And what I see on my own reservation (the Salish Flathead in Montana) is a true poverty of spirit, and much of it is due to mental health."