CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES ON MENTAL WELLBEING

Hosting a 'Spirituality and Psychiatry' special interest group (SIG) since 1998, to which over 3,000 of its Members have signed up, the Royal College can be said to support the basic theme of this book, that society is, 'On the verge of a major shift in how health and especially mental health is understood and treated'. This shift involves, 'Abandoning a reductionist disease based paradigm and embracing a holistic, open ended, even mystery-filled vision of humankind.' (p. 8) To some this remains hard to accept, but read on!

Natalie Tobert is a London-based medical anthropologist who has researched the topic thoroughly, writing both clearly and persuasively, recalling previous examples of major revisions of attitude; towards unmarried mothers and consenting homosexuals, for example. Indigenous people are no longer automatically considered mentally challenged with consequent dismissal of the riches of their Native religious traditions. She writes, 'This new book… is extremely wide-ranging, presenting human experience from life through health, to death and beyond. In presenting material from the spiritual perspective, I am not writing from a particular religious or academic viewpoint… My aim is to acknowledge the dilemma of different frameworks of knowledge and bridge the gap between the perspectives of physicians and those of patients.' (p. 17)

She explains, 'Acknowledging cultural frameworks for the world and human existence is relevant to health and recovery. This is because coherence of understanding between practitioner and client tends to improve healing.' (p. 26) Further, 'People's beliefs about their spiritual existence influence their explanatory models and interpretations of their mental health symptoms; they also affect their access to healthcare and compliance with treatment.' (p. 32)

In seventeen neat chapters, each helpfully introduced and then summarised for clarity, the author tackles pertinent subjects including 'cultural beliefs about health and illness', 'beliefs about conception and human identity', 'women's bodies and human behaviour', 'cultural knowledge on death and dying' (and about survival after death), then five chapters on 'anomalous experiences', among them 'religious and spiritual experiences', 'near-death experiences', and 'spiritual awakening'. The final chapters in turn cover, 'Why address cultural understandings and academic fixity?', 'Acknowledging dissonance as a way forward', and, 'Towards positive change'.

This is a worthwhile book, making an ideal companion to two Royal College publications: 'Spirituality and Psychiatry' (Cook et al, 2009) and 'Spirituality and Narrative in Psychiatric Practice' (Cook et al, 2016). Members of the Spirituality and Psychiatry SIG will certainly find it rewarding, others might find it surprisingly beneficial, both accessible and enlightening, too.

References

1. Cook, C., Powell, A. & Sims, A. (2009) Spirituality and Psychiatry. London: RCPsych Publications. 2. Cook, C. C. H., Powell, A. & Sims, A. (2016) Spirituality and Narrative in Psychiatric Practice: stories of mind and soul. London: RCPsych Publications.