Investigators:
Dr. Pamela Bennett, University of Auckland
Dr. Laurence J. Kirmayer, McGill University
The goal of this project is to examine critically the frameworks of psychiatry as applied to indigenous health, in order to identify and develop ways of framing individual responses that better capture the nature of resilience, positive mental health and both individual and collective resources. To do this, we will collect and analyze a series of case studies of psychiatric assessment and diagnosis where the conventional diagnosis is considered inadequate or misleading by indigenous practitioners. We will examine alternative frameworks for interpreting responses to adversity that employ Indigenous concepts of relatedness, family and community function, and spirituality. Based on this work, we plan to develop training materials for mental health professionals to improve their cultural competence in Indigenous mental health.
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