3 Ways Culture Is Shaping Our Mind and Behavior

 

How much of our mental health is affected by our culture?

 

I’m not referring to the stigma around mental health that our culture continuously points out. Although, I’m not sure our culture saying “Let’s stop the stigma,” ultimately will stop it. It is a good stepping point, to be aware- but to be actionable is what we need. It lies within you and I – sharing our stories, no longer discussing or pointing to “stigma”. Letting that word fall from our vocabulary, and choosing to be courageous in sharing our own narratives to the point where it becomes common.

 

How does society shape our beliefs around what constitutes a healthy mind and an unhealthy mind? How does mainstream news and media construct our beliefs around our own mental health and solutions?

 

I’m looking to uncover the role that culture plays in our own mental health – depression, anxiety, body image issues – our coping strategies. How does our culture mold our solutions to these issues, form our identities, and our beliefs behind our mind and behavior?

 

I’m asking us to be introspective. Look into ourselves, but also explore one another. Reflect on our society’s mainstream views of mental health, our own perspectives, how each of us play a role in molding the norm, and building the foundation for how we interpret and respond to the diverse aspects of mental health.

 

How is our culture teaching us about mental health- and can it be detrimental to our own mind?

These are my own perspectives – and this is more of a posed question rather than a constructive list. I want to hear from you.

 

1. Our Culture’s Grasp On the Chemical Imbalance Theory

 

Can our brain chemicals be naturally and biologically imbalanced on their own therefore causing mental health issues? Or do our thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors create a chemical imbalance within our brain?

 

The chemical imbalance theory has been ingrained into our society with little evidence. Is it cause or effect? It has been dispelled a number of times, and yet it still remains grasped by some. Pharmaceutical ads branded this theory into our minds, for example, “”Prescription Zoloft works to correct this imbalance.” A chemical imbalance is mostly derived out of our chosen thoughts and habits, conditioned within our neural pathways. Our nutrition and activities. Our internal and external environment. These first conscious decisions become unconscious- continuing to repeat out of our habitual nature. We begin to struggle with them as they grow more intense, and it feels overwhelming and unsolvable. When in reality, it lies within our own effort and mind to begin to re-shift our habits.

 

Science behind our brain – related to emotional and mental health – points to the importance of nerve cell connections, nerve cell growth, and the functioning of nerve circuits. Research shows partial effectiveness of anti-depressants actually resulting out of nerve cell growth rather than the once perceived chemical imbalance. The beauty of our biology is that we can actually change it and influence it through healthy thinking and activities.

 

• “Without antidepressants: About 20 to 40 out of 100 people who took a placebo noticed an improvement of their symptoms within six to eight weeks.”
• “With antidepressants: About 40 to 60 out of 100 people who took an antidepressant noticed an improvement of their symptoms within six to eight weeks.”

– National Library of Medicine

 

This statistic should show you the power of our mind. The placebo effect improved 20-40% of individuals’ symptoms. Our beliefs are powerful, and I’ve witnessed it firsthand in my own understanding of my mind. I don’t believe that mainstream media gives this power enough credit, and it should be more widely educated. Our biology is influenced by a number of factors – but we have our own control over this by what we eat, what we think, and our activities.

 

2.Our Culture’s Statements: “Mental Illness Is The Same As A Physical Disease”

 

Often promotional efforts around mental health have been relating a mental illness to a physical disease. I can understand this. It can be extremely debilitating, as I’ve experienced it myself and witnessed my loved ones suffer– and worse, it has to stay behind closed doors. At least, that is what society has led us to believe. I think it deserves to be compared, but also deserves not to be. Both are so vague, and both can point to such an array of things- it almost makes no sense in noting.

 

Some quotes get specific, “Mental illness is like diabetes.”

 

I’ve been hearing this quite often and this leaves the interpretation up to the person, which makes it tricky. Are they trying to make a point that mental illness is serious? Are they trying to show that both exist as difficulties but can be managed? Managed through medicine? Is it to mean that they are both life-long conditions? Is this quote meant to de-stigmatize mental illness?

 

It’s ambiguous in it’s mission, and ambiguous in each of our interpretations.

 

Mental illnesses themselves are so complex and fall on such different spectrums, it makes it very difficult to compare it to one disease. Especially one that is so vastly different.

Many people who use the phrase, “Mental Illness is like diabetes.” explicitly link the relationship to medication. The people who have told me this, have heard this phrase from their own doctors or loved ones. This phrase was accepted by our culture, and spread widely.

We shouldn’t need to compare mental illness to diabetes to make people believe it is serious. It should solely be taken seriously due to the statistics and suicide rates. I’m unsure about the interpretation of this comparison, and how it influences our own thoughts on mental illness. I think we can commiserate on the basis that they are both aspects of the human experience, and both should be treated as such. There are many different influences to both, some that we can prevent and control.

 

3. Psychology Education Shaping Culture Through Future Professionals

 

I was in the one of the last lectures for Elementary Psychology, when the teacher began describing schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. I was in awe at the way he would depict those who suffer from these illnesses. It was the exact way we tend to frame crazy in the media. Yet, this was a class that many continue on in their education to get a Psychology degree in order to help those struggling with their mental health. Watching a family member struggle with this, I’ve been granted a perception that brings compassion, of which the teacher should be shaping within their students. My teacher has posed the claim “the mentally ill” and created an other. Separating ourselves from those suffering, rather than creating a we, a community aspect that we are each all human and we, ourselves, could experience these issues. We need to begin to recognize our roles in mental health and rather than separating us, unify us on this common basis. Aware or not, the teacher is shaping the students’ perceptions around these disorders and it does play a role in the future of mental health.

 

Note, this is one case. This is my case as a student in a classroom. However, I’m curious about how often psychology teachers take note of this. I wonder if they examine the way they shape the perceptions of their students. I hope that other psychology courses are less biased and better represent the diverse nature of our mental health, and the humans behind the stories they share. I aspire to live in a world that looks at mental health in a new light, one that is based upon a community-approach, one that connects on the basis that we are all human and deserve to be treated as such.

 

 

My Story and Take On Culture

 

I want to take you back to 15-year old me. I’m at my primary care physician at the point where I choose to reach out for help describing my depression and the debilitating factors.

 

He never informed me about the range of influences on my mental health- nutrition, thoughts, beliefs- the power of our mind. He briefly mentioned therapy, but I was handed a prescription for fluoxetine, an anti-depressant. I was 15. Many of the prescriptions written are coming from our family care physicians, and I’m not sure all are adequately prepared for this.

 

The pharmaceutical companies are winning in our society. Our culture has chosen to go along with the paid advertisements of pinning our mental health issues on a biological issue. “It’s not us, it’s our biology” mentality, and it’s stripping those of the belief that they do have power over their mind, and they can implement strategies that will alleviate their pain.

Shifting the blame entirely onto biology may appear easier and less stigmatizing, however, it defeats the real solution we are all looking for. To make the necessary changes and put in the effort to reframe and reconstruct our thinking, eat and live healthier lives, and learn to ride the waves of anxious, depressive moments in our life. The lows exist as a lesson, they are a part of the human experience. Our biology does deserve partial blame, but we also influence our own biology. This grants us the power to change our lives.

 

As a human being, I need all-around care and an integrative solution.

 

A lack of happiness was not necessarily the result of my depression – it was the lack of meaning in my life – it was the negative and daunting thoughts I had conditioned myself to believe. A pill will not give anyone meaning, unless they frame their beliefs around it. A pill will not retrain their neural pathways to believe lovely thoughts about themselves, life, this world –  unless they form beliefs around the pill having these capabilities. Nutrition and exercise have tremendous affects on the chemicals in our brain.

 

I can take account for my thoughts and actions. I wasn’t educated. I was living unaware of my own thinking and the ability I had to change with much needed effort. I hope we can each offer this view to one another. That we can become at peace with ourselves in the face of daunting thoughts and learn to love this tricky process of being human.

These changes take work. It has taken me two years to reframe my mindset, to implement healthy habits and coping strategies. Healthy living will be a life-long journey, riding the highs and lows of life- and welcoming them all.

I just think it’s more than important to question our culture and society. To question the information that has been handed to us, and be curious to where it originated. If there were no mental health labels, what would you think of the symptoms you are experiencing? What would you personally change in your life that could improve your mental health, that could relieve some of these symptoms?

 

I want to hear from you. I want to learn your view on culture- and the ways that it influences our mental health. I also want to hear about ways that we can proactively change the conversation and mold a new view of mental health in our culture. Starting with me and you.

 

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Your Courage Is Someone Else’s Courage

This must be what always brings me here. Typing this, sharing myself. My courage can be someone else’s courage, and that means something much more to me.