Traditional Medicine

The article Community Mental Health in the English Speaking Caribbean by Hutchinson (2014) discusses the way that mental health provisions have evolved in theory and in practice over the years. Hutchinson insinuates that there have been commendable efforts from the community regarding mental health, but he blames the lack of resources and the stigmatization toward mental health for the lack of advancement in mental health. Also, Hutchinson blames the western influence for the lack of advancement of mental health. Hutchinson suggested the need for a collaboration between modern medicine and traditional healing in combination with religious methods to help the advancement of mental health treatments.

One of the main points of this article that stood out to me was the use of the University of the West Indies as a community in helping with the state of affairs of mental health. As a future psychologist, this is a great point to focus on. Understanding mental health in the Bahamas, in my opinion, is still not where it should be. It can be said that most Bahamians still do not perceive mental health as a health issue and because of this they do not take it as seriously as they should. Aside from the BPA, and efforts from the psychology club at the University of the Bahamas, what communities are out there promoting the importance of mental health in The Bahamas? Having a solid community of people whose goals are promoting mental health and making strides in the advancement of mental health practices in the Bahamas is most vital in our journey to successfully having a country where mental health is taken seriously, and treatments that integrate the beliefs and practices of the people along with modern medicine can be attained.

Another main point that stood out to me was the global suggestions of how cultures should strive to integrate healing practices in mental health. Respecting someone’s beliefs is very important in mental health. Incorporating people’s beliefs should also be important in mental health treatments. One example of integrating the beliefs of the people with modern medicine is Espiritismo in Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, Catholics attend mass and observe the sacraments, but they also take recourse to Spiritism rituals when they or a family member is in distress