Cultural Sensitivity: Indigenous People and Depression

Cultural Sensitivity: Indigenous People and Depression

This lecture is about Indigenous peoples in Australia and depressive illness.  It discusses the importance of knowing ‘where you are from’ as a major factor in the development of mental wellness. Depressive illness is defined and the physiological and psychological signs and symptoms are described. The importance of using culturally appropriate communication is emphasised along with the importance of organic factors such as consumption of alcohol, substance abuse and poor blood glucose control when assessing mental health.

The main concepts explored in this session are:

• Cultural sensitivity in the provision of Indigenous health care
• Depression and mental illness
• Establishing identity in Indigenous communities
• The importance of language use and cultural sensitivity
• Organic and non-organic causes of depression in Aboriginal communities

Colleen Reid is a registered general nurse and mental health nurse with extensive experience in clinical psychiatry and teaching. Currently, Colleen is employed as a community mental health nurse and also works part-time with Davaar Consultancy Training and Development. Colleen’s teaching experience, facilitation of seminars and workshops are held in high regard.

Speaker name: Colleen Reid
Recorded: 24th and 25th March 2011
Listening time: 27 Mins
Conference: Nursing Indigenous People
Session in Conference: Practical and culturally sensitive approaches for recognising depressed and suicidal indigenous people. Tailoring relevant interventions
State: Brisbane, Australia

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