This paper examines the relationship between culture and mental health, drawing on personal experience as an African American woman and an analysis of Alaska Native beliefs and practices. The paper discusses how cultural background influences perceptions of mental illness, help-seeking behavior, and access to care. It highlights the disproportionate mental health burdens faced by African Americans, including stigma, incarceration risk, and limited access to culturally competent services. It then explores Alaska Native traditional healing systems and protective factors — including spiritual practices, community connectedness, and holistic approaches — that address mental health needs within that community. The paper concludes by advocating for culturally responsive, equitable mental health care.
The paper demonstrates the technique of cultural contextualization — situating mental health data and clinical concepts within specific cultural frameworks rather than treating them as universal. By citing Gopalkrishnan (2018), the American Psychiatric Association (2017), and O'Keefe et al. (2021), the writer supports personal observations with peer-reviewed evidence, showing how to integrate first-person perspective with scholarly sources responsibly.
The paper opens with a definitional introduction establishing culture's role in mental health. The second section shifts to a personal cultural lens, examining African American experiences with stigma, incarceration, and care inequity. The third section introduces Alaska Natives as a comparative case, covering demographics, mental health burden, and barriers to care. The fourth section details Alaska Native healing systems and protective factors. A references section closes the paper. This four-part progression moves effectively from the general to the specific and from personal to comparative analysis.
Culture — which encompasses aspects including, but not limited to, nationality, language, religion, class, and gender — can impact many dimensions of mental health (Gopalkrishnan, 2018). Different cultures tend to hold different perspectives on mental health. For instance, culture may affect how individuals view mental illness, the therapeutic relationship, and how they seek treatment. In addition, culture can determine how people communicate their mental health issues as well as the types of coping strategies they employ. Although culture influences treatment decisions and personal views on mental health, it can also cause discrimination and trauma through stigmatization. This paper presents personal views on mental health informed by cultural background and upbringing, and also describes the practices and beliefs of Alaska Natives as they relate to mental health, along with personal perceptions of that culture.
Mental health affects African Americans in the same way it affects members of other cultures. However, African Americans are disproportionately affected — meaning there is a higher rate of mental illness within this population than among other racial groups. Most Black Americans lack access to culturally competent mental health care and are likely to receive lower-quality care. African American women, in particular, are at higher risk for mental illnesses as a consequence of rampant victimization and related factors. Growing up, it was common to observe children being placed in child welfare systems and foster care because their parents were unable to care for them due to mental illness-related issues.
Beyond poor access to mental health care, African Americans who present with mental health problems associated with violence tend to be at higher risk of incarceration compared to other racial groups. As an African American woman, I perceive that African Americans are treated differently when it comes to accessing mental health services and are more likely to be stigmatized than their white counterparts when they present with mental health problems. Mental illnesses call for appropriate intervention and the deployment of suitable treatment strategies; therefore, mental health services should be easily accessible to all, regardless of race or other social factors.
I also believe that mental health problems should not determine or disrupt personal relationships, and my family shares similar beliefs. Mental health issues should not be automatically associated with violence — particularly among African Americans — since such perceptions worsen an already difficult situation by reinforcing the stigma associated with mental illness. These beliefs and perceptions are often passed from one generation to the next.
Alaska Natives and American Indians make up approximately 2% of the American population and are culturally diverse in many respects. As of 2015, a significant portion of this population exhibited high poverty rates and lacked health insurance coverage (American Psychiatric Association, 2017). Compared to the broader U.S. population, Alaska Natives have higher rates of mental health issues, which are associated with suicide and substance use. These disorders have been linked to the historical forced abandonment of their culture, spiritual practices, family connections, and removal from their land (American Psychiatric Association, 2017).
Despite the high prevalence of mental health disorders among Alaska Natives, their utilization of formal mental health services remains low. This is due in part to a lack of available services, an absence of culturally trained providers, limited trust in healthcare providers, and frequent stigmatization. As a result, Alaska Natives rely heavily on cultural health practices to address their mental health needs. Their traditional healing systems focus on balancing the spirit, body, and mind by fostering a connection with the land and place (American Psychiatric Association, 2017). According to Alaska Natives, this system has the capacity to address mental health care needs within their community. For example, individuals with substance use disorder or anxiety may believe that spiritual or traditional healers can provide healing.
American Psychiatric Association (2017). Mental Health Disparities: American Indians and Alaska Natives. https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Cultural-Competency/Mental-Health-Disparities/Mental-Health-Facts-for-American-Indian-Alaska-Natives.pdf
Gopalkrishnan, N. (2018). Cultural diversity and mental health: Considerations for policy and practice. Frontiers in Public Health, 6, 179.
O'Keefe, V. M., Cwik, M. F., Haroz, E. E., & Barlow, A. (2021). Increasing culturally responsive care and mental health equity with indigenous community mental health workers. Psychological Services, 18(1), 84–92.
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