Dealing with mental illness

A comparison between patients with and without a migration background

Authors

  • Nane Ohanian

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30820/1664-9583-2022-1-69

Keywords:

mental illness, patients with migration experience, social desirability, shame, stigma

Abstract

There has been a continuous immigration of migrants to Germany for years. People who are in a process of migration are at risk of mental illness. Are there differences between patients with or without migration background in dealing with mental illness? Patients of the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Hospital in Frankfurt were interviewed with the help of a questionnaire on how they deal with mental illness. Psychological distress was measured by the Symptom Checklist (SCL-k-9) and response behavior by the Social Desirability Scale (SES-17). The sample included n = 81 aged between 18 and 77 years. The socially desired response behaviour of patients with migration experience differs significantly from the sample without migration experience (p = .020). Patients with migration experience show a more shameful communication regarding their mental illness in their social environment than patients without migration experience (partner: p = .000; parents: p = .005). The analysis shows the importance of awareness of the different way patients with migration experience deal with their own mental illness.

Author Biography

Nane Ohanian

Nane Ohanian, Dr. med., ist Amtsärztin beim Sozialpsychiatrischen Dienst Friedrichshain, Fachbereich Prävention, Gesundheitsförderung und Gesundheitshilfe für Erwachsene des Gesundheitsamtes, Bezirksamt Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg von Berlin, ärztliche Gutachterin im Fachgebiet Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie und Mitglied der deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Psychosomatik und Nervenheilkunde.
069-074 31177

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How to Cite

Ohanian, N. (2022). Dealing with mental illness: A comparison between patients with and without a migration background. Psychotherapie-Wissenschaft, 12(1), 69–74. https://doi.org/10.30820/1664-9583-2022-1-69

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 1 (2022): Evaluation von Psychotherapieverläufen

Section

Original Work

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