Culture & Mental Health
The culture of an individual influences many aspects of mental health, mental illness, and patterns of health care utilization. One’s spirituality and religion often shapes how individuals understand mental illness. Below you will find resources that provide the links between mental health and culture.
Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity

Office of the Surgeon General (US); Center for Mental Health Services (US); National Institute of Mental Health (US).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44243/
Stigma-Busting Within the African American Community
As Miss International 2015 and a national ambassador for NAMI, I have spent the last year with a specific focus on breaking the stigma associated with mental health. I do this work not only because I am a psychotherapist, but also because certain individuals resist seeking help due to the labels that are associated with symptoms of mental health conditions. – See more at: https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/July-2016/Stigma-Busting-Within-the-African-American-Communi
Faith, culture and mental health are closely related to one another. To learn more we encourage you to click the links below.
Unequal Gain of Equal Resources
Recent Advances in Cross-cultural Measurement
Mental Health Literacy A cross-cultural approach
Does Discrimination Explain High Risk of Depression
Cultural Diversity and Mental Health Treatment Preferences
Cultural Diversity and Mental Health
Association Between Religious Service Attendance
Recruitment and Enrollment of African Americans and Caucasians in Health Promotion Trial
Church-Based Health Programs for Mental Disorders Among African Americans: A Review
A Cross-Cultural Study of Mental Health Beliefs and Attitudes Towards Seeking Professional Help
Modern Western Culture and Mental Health
Mental Health Services in Faith Communities…The Role of Clergy in Black Churches
Pastoral Care and the Complexity of Mental Illness in Pentecostal and Evangelical Churches
The Role of Culture and Cultural Techniques in Psychotherapy
Research on Religion, Spirituality, and Mental Health
Hiding Behind the Pulpit with Bipolar Disorder
Faith-Based Mental Health Education. Service-Learning Opportunity for Nursing Students
Is it a Spiritual or a Mental Health Crisis
Religion and Mental Health. Evidence for an Association