Living with Mental Illness in a Globalised World Combating Stigma and Barriers to Healthcare

Living with Mental Illness in a Globalised World systematically examines the manifold contributions to the burdens of living with mental illness in a developing and globalised world. It explores the stigma of mental illness, the burden of which compares to the symptoms of and is sometimes considered more disabling than the illness itself. The book starts by reviewing the socio-psychological and cultural processes that contribute to stigma and providing evidence-based interventions to combat it. Chapters critically investigate the ideological and instrumental barriers to mental healthcare and establish that determining the conceptualisations of mental illness helps to unravel the reasons for the underutilisation of mental health services. A compelling case is made for a complementary healthcare model and bottom-up approach that is sensitive to the spiritual and cultural needs of the people. The text’s specific examination of mental healthcare in African countries makes it a timely piece for assisting mental health professionals in understanding the inequities in care that Black Asian and Minority Ethnic groups face and how to improve mental healthcare and delivery to these groups.

Foreword by Femi Oyebode Preface Acknowledgments Part One Attitudes towards Mental Illness Introduction Chapter 1 The Socio-psychological Processes of Stigma Chapter 2 Types of Mental Illness Stigma Public Stigma Self-stigma Associative Stigma Chapter 3 Stigma Predisposing Factors Culture Causal Explanations for Mental Illness (Mis)conceptualisation and (Mis)representation of Mental Illness Nature and Symptom Presentation of Illness Diagnosis of Mental Illness and Psychiatric Hospitalisation Chapter 4 Consequences of the Stigma of Mental Illness Social Exclusion Structural Discrimination Increased Burden of Disease Impedance of Help-seeking Impedance of Treatment and Recovery Chapter 5 Pervasiveness of Stigma The Developing World The Developed World Demographic Correlates of Stigmatising Attitudes Chapter 6 Improving Stigmatising Attitudes Education Contact Advocacy A Multi-dimensional Approach Part Two Barriers to Mental Healthcare Introduction Chapter 7 Help-seeking Determinants and Ideological Barriers The Sociocultural Context The Conceptualisation of Disease Cultural (In)appropriateness of Care Mental Health Literacy Culture of Self-reliance Stigma of Mental Illness Chapter 8 Help-seeking Determinants and Instrumental Barriers The Social Network Experience of the Mental Health System Inadequacy of Services Case for Integrated Primary Care Chapter 9 Ideological vs. Instrumental Barriers to Mental Healthcare Barriers to Help-seeking: Socio-demographic Correlates Part Three Pathways to Mental Healthcare: Evolving an Effective Design Introduction Chapter 10 Pathways to Mental Healthcare The Biomedical Model The ‘Free Market’ Model Spiritual Pathway (Faith Healers) Traditional Pathway 1 Traditional Pathway 2: The Social Network Chapter 11 Patterns of Mental Healthcare Pathways in Sub-Saharan Africa Chapter 12 Conclusion: Towards a Complementary Model of Mental Healthcare References Subject index

Ugo Ikwuka, PhD, lectures at the University of Wolverhampton, UK. He has published several works on causal attributions for mental illness, pathways to mental healthcare, and barriers to accessing mental healthcare.