On Mental Health Practice in Arab Countries

Individuals in Arabian cultures, as in any other culture, are forced into different life experiences, and, therefore, deliberately and inadvertently, develop many different and unique cultural values and perspectives. When we practice therapy, these differences must be taken into account before maximum success in therapy can be achieved. This presentation concentrates on exactly this premise. Based on personal practice, anthropological studies, psychosocial research, and personal observations, themes central to four major shared social and psychological characteristics including religious orientation; communal values; sex taboos; and authority-obedience orientation have been identified. The role of such dimensions in facilitating or hindering treatment effectiveness as pertain to: identifying target behavior; selecting treatment techniques; and identifying treatment goals and prognosis criteria have been analyzed. Illustrative case studies and research findings have been cited in support of our assumptions. The concept of culture has undergone a variety of definitions, most emphasizing it as a shared feature of human groups. One traditional way, which we will be following here, is to deal with this concept as a construct that incorporates the values, beliefs, and behavioral patterns of a people who have lived together in a particular geographic area for a sustained period of time, i.e., at least three or four generations (e.g., Johnson, 1990; Wehrly, 1995). In short, and as Berry (2000, p. 393) put it, culture is a shared way of life among a group of people. Mental health specialists have just recently been involved in making conscious efforts to incorporate cultural factors into their treatment strategies. The current state of affair in research and practice in psychotherapy and counseling seems to focus on how and in what way culturally determined behavioral patterns may influence the psychological treatment processes. In the last two decades, these culturally oriented approaches of psychological treatments have been enriched by many scholarly writings addressing the topic of crosscultural and multicultural factors in professional practice (e.g., El-Dawla, 2001; El-Islam, 2001; Fish, 1995; Ghubash, 2001; Ibrahim, 2001; Jilek, 2001; Jenkins, 1985; Kiesler, 1966; Sue, 1981). The culturally oriented approaches of treatment often operate under an acceptable assumption that individuals in any culture are forced into psycho-socially different experiences. Therefore, individuals in any culture, intentionally and unintentionally, develop many different and unique culturally determined behavior patterns and perspectives. To be alert to those factors can be of great value for mental health practice in Arabian countries. Why Is Culture Beneficial for Mental Health Practice? The benefits of information about the role of cultural factors in mental health practice are numerous. Johnson (1991), for example, cited proof that the role or function of culture in therapy provides the therapist with a framework to better comprehend the systems of relationships involved in multicultural practice. Additionally, awareness of cultural patterns plays an important role in determining the relevancy and effectiveness of any therapeutic relationship. Also, the inability to offer culturally relevant treatment is seen by Sue ethnic minorities are inadequately served. Further, well gathered knowledge of culture, will alert mental health practitioners to possible problems of credibility. The Need for Mental Health Services in Arabian Cultures Literature on the need for mental health services, and in what way these services should be presented in Arabian cultures is almost absent. One basic goal of this presentation is to present an overview of some major empirical psychological, psychiatric, and anthropological research done in Arab countries (e.g., Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Libya), to identify the need for mental health services in that culture. By and large, psychopathological patterns emerged in Arabian cultures are similar to those usually noted in the West. However, large proportions of mental health problems in Arabian countries receive inadequate psychological care. Further, we aimed to investigate the sensitive role of cultural patterns for providers of mental health services for Arabs. 16. CONCEPTUAL ISSUES RELATED TO ARABIAN CULTURE At least four major modal personality and behavioral patterns that are relevant for better understanding of Arab patients can be hypothesized as follows: (1) Religious orientation (2) Orientation toward others, kinship, and communal attachments (3) Attitudes, relationships, and dealing with sex subjects and opposite sex, and (4) Attitudes, relationships, and dealing with authority figures. Examining the role of each of these characteristics in practice is in order. a. Religious Orientation: Culture has strong impact not only on the beliefs we hold about the supernatural powers and the religion we adopt but also on the way we allow these beliefs and religious faith to impact our daily practices, the way we think, and styles of communication with others including therapeutic relationships. Generally Arabs are religious. Islam is the major adopted religion in all Arab countries. Arabs’ domestic world of relations is deeply affected by Islam in both its great and little traditions. Q’uraan (the Islamic Holly Book), and a prayer rug is almost in every Muslim house. As in other cultures, there are, of course, those who do not ordinarily keep a strict religious practices but those individuals follow orthodox practices during periods of Arabpsynet e.Journal : N°12 – Autumn 2006 لمج ــــــ ة كبش ـــــ لعلا ة ـــــــــ يسفنلا مو ـــــــ يبرعلا ة ـــــــ ة : ددــــعـلا 12 فيرخ 2006