For this assignment I have chosen to research mental health for mothers. I have chosen this public health topic because in my work with American Indian/Alaska Native Head Start programs I have seen an increase in children with special needs. This increase in children with special needs can be contributed to the increase in fetal alcohol exposure. The cycle of mental health illness across generations continues to affect the communities I work with in Washington State. There are several programs that can address alcoholism, drug addiction, and domestic violence as mental health is included in the United States health care system; without the inclusion of mental health in our health care system the percentage of prenatal alcohol exposure would far exceed what it is now. I am hoping the impact on my future work with American Indian/Alaska Native Head Start programs will allow me to gain more knowledge to advocate for more resources within the Indian Health Services to support an increase in resources for the prevention of drug and alcohol abuse.
In our text there is a beautiful picture of mom and infant from Namibian. The capture below the picture states, “Mother holds her child very close and has massaged his whole body with butterfat and red ochre. Touch and caress, more than words and toys, express love in a proximal culture” (2009, Berger). When I read this I decided to see how mental health was addressed in Namibian as this strong act of love for child supports social/emotional health. Namibian still has its struggles with mental health in adults and children. The Namibian government has been working diligently to include mental health in their system of health care but due to the priority of communicable and life threatening diseases on current health resources, Namibian lags behind in the development of resources to support mental health issues. Just as with the United States, drug and alcohol abuse are on the rise which compounds the mental health issues in Namibian. The Namibian government is currently working with the World Health Organization (WHO) to have mental health included in their system of health care.
Berger, K. S. (2009). The developing person through childhood (5th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
(nd). Republic of Namibia. Ministry of Health and Social Services. National health policy. Retrieved May 14, 2011 from http://www.healthnet.org.na/documents/policies/Mental%20Health%20Policy.pdf
I too was touched by that photo in our textbook. Too often, stereotypes about poverty and poor health lead some people to believe that lack of nurturing is present as well. Clearly not the case!
ReplyDeleteYour work with Native American populations and your desire to support and advocate for positive change within the culture is commendable. It seems that lack of resources is the underlying cause of many of the issues we've been reading and writing about the past couple of weeks. Learning more about the issues in order to better advocate is the way to go!