Culture in Mind

Mental health, culture, and ethnicity
by Ruth C. White, Ph.D.

The Power of Perception and the Perception of Power

Feminism tends to employ a deficit model of power which says that men have it and women do not. However, that definition of power reflects a patriarchal model that defines power through male lens. Flipping the script to make power a woman's domain requires different strategies for changing women's lives. Read More

Alternative Gifting on Valentine's Day

On Valentine's Day you can do the usual card, candy, cut blooms and culinary delights or impress with the gift of health or life to someone who needs it. #Alternativegifting is your way into your Valentine's heart. Show your love, make an impact, make a difference. Read More

4 Simple Steps to Mental Well-Being

In stressful times we need strategies to cope: a healthy mind is just as important as a healthy body. The SNAP program (Sleep, Nutrition, Activity, and Personal relationships) encourages good sleep habits, healthy nutrition, exercise and social support as 4 key strategies for keeping our minds healthy, sharp, alert and calm. Read More

Coming Out of the Crazy Closet

Having a mental illness is a stigmatized identity. Stigma reduces the person "from a whole and usual person to a tainted, discounted one." Goffman wrote this quote in his classic 1963 treatise on stigma. Being open about brain disorders reduces the negative impact of stigma on the health and well-being of individuals and supports people in maintaining mental well-being. Read More

The Race Card

The "race card" is something no one wants in play. It's not a fun game. But what is the race card and why does it get played? And can anyone win with it? Read More

Letting Go For College: A Guide for Parents and Students

Leaving for college changes forever the relationship between parent and child. Some families make this transition smoothly and others find it much more challenging. These five tips help families manage the home-to-college and child-to-adult transitions and minimizes the emotional effects on both parents and children. Read More

Mood Food

Food makes us feel good and some foods make us feel happier than others. Food is not just about nutrition but it is also about how we feel. Here is a guide to some foods that put us in a good mood and a little about some that might not. Read More

The Good Mother

The Mothering Olympics Read More

Violence, Mental Illness and Stigma

On May 30 in Seattle, Lee Stawicki shot five people then himself. The reports of his possible mental illness (specifically bipolar disorder) reinforced the stereotypes of people with bipolar disorder as being dangerous to society. Read More

The Mental Health Costs of Academic Success

Learning is stressful and the modern-day education stakes are high because not only does a future ride on performance but so do the bank accounts of parents and adult students. The need for anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medications has trickled down from corporate executives to children in pressure-cooker elementary schools. Read More

Outside the Box

What follows are subjective views of non-conformity from some famous people who did it well, or at least did it famously. 

 

1. It gives me great pleasure indeed to see the stubbornness of an incorrigible nonconformist warmly acclaimed ~Albert Einstein.

 

2. Every society honors its live conformists, and its dead troublemakers. ~Mignon McLaughlin Read More

The Fat Taboo

According to the most recent CDC data released in early 2012, more than one-third of Americans are obese. Among adult African American women, almost 80 percent are overweight or obese. Read More

The Whore, the Slut and the 'Good Girl'

Why are 'whore' and 'slut' offensive? Can women take them back and make them their own? Are we forever destined to be either a Madonna or a whore? Why is it bad for women to exercise their sexual power as they see fit? This post challenges some common notions about female sexuality and men's power to define it. Read More

The Culture of Race

W.E.B. DuBois once said that the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line. As the twenty-first century enters its second decade the color line is sitll a problem. But now there are fancier names than racism; names like racial disproportionality and racial disparities. Read More

Lessons My Daughter Taught Me

Having children is a big experiment. A bigger experiment than anything science can conjure. The experiment is not just about how the child will turn out but also what kind of lessons we will learn about ourselves and about life in the process. Read More

Love and (Inter)marriage

According to the 2010 Census, there are 4.5 million interracial marriages in the USA, an increase of 20% since 2000. Perhaps love really knows no color. Or does it?

What does this statistic really mean? Who is marrying who?

Census categories Read More

Is Work Driving You Crazy? It's Time to Stop the Madness!

Work can be very stressful but it is not the stress that matters as much as how you deal with the stress you do have. Taking steps to destress and to cushion yourself against the forces of stress pay off in your physical and mental health, and improve your effectiveness and efficiency at work. Includes 7 stress-busting strategies. Read More

No Strings Attached Sex (NSA): Can Women Really Do It?

Disclaimer: This piece makes heterosexist assumptions in the interest of simplicity.

The social science research Read More

Secret to a Better Brain, Younger Face and Longer Life

Want to sleep but can't? Want to get the benefits of a good night's sleep? Want tips for getting a good night's sleep? This article is a short and sweet discussion of the secret to a better brain, younger face and a longer life. Read More

Midterms and Finals: Making it Through Without Falling Apart

Waiting until exam time to get top grades creates lots of stress that can often lead to mental health struggles. To reduce the pressure of term papers, midterms and finals, it is best to start early with time management and study techniques that will create a routine that puts the student in control of their success. Read More

Happy Holidays? Why Not?

Thanksgiving has passed and the madness that is Black Friday is already a memory. One down, more to go: Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwaanzaa and let's not forget the New Year.  Read More

Mental Health and the Culture of War

The article that follows below was written for Veteran's Day but is perfectly suited for Memorial Day as we honor those who have served their country by putting life, limb and mental well-being at risk. (I have changed the graphic to be more suitable for Memorial Day)

War and Mental Health Read More

The Color of Mental Illness

Racism creates social conditions that puts people at risk for mental illness and once they are mentally ill, stigma and lower access to quality care reduces the likelihood of diagnosis and provides barriers to high quality care. Read More

The Culture of Mental Health

Am I crazy or am I just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Do I need medication or do I just need different cultural expectations? Am I a survivor of mental health or an ongoing 'victim'? Can we answer these questions without the framework of culture? Read More

Ruth C. White, Ph.D., M.S.W., and M.P.H., is the author of Bipolar 101 and is an associate professor of social work at Seattle University.

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About Culture in Mind

Culture in Mind will explore all the ways in which culture, broadly conceptualized, interacts with mental health. Whether that be the culture of war or the culture of work or cultural norms and values that are passed down to us through our families. There will be a special focus on race and ethnicity

Current Issue

Confessions of a Sociopath

She's successful and charming as well as ruthless and calculating.

Books by Ruth C. White, Ph.D.

Image of Bipolar 101: A Practical Guide to Identifying Triggers, Managing Medications, Coping with Symptoms, and More
Bipolar 101: A Practical Guide to Identifying Triggers, Managing Medications, Coping with Symptoms, and More