Changing Conceptions of Mental Distress Among Somalis in Finland

This article examines how the conceptions, expressions and treatment of mental distress are changing among Somalis living in Finland. The data derive from two focus group interviews with Somali seniors and two individual interviews with Islamic healers. Conditions conceptualized by the Finnish biome...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Transcultural psychiatry 2010-04, Vol.47 (2), p.276-300
Hauptverfasser: Mölsä, Mulki Elmi, Hjelde, Karin Harsløf, Tiilikainen, Marja
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:Volltext
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:This article examines how the conceptions, expressions and treatment of mental distress are changing among Somalis living in Finland. The data derive from two focus group interviews with Somali seniors and two individual interviews with Islamic healers. Conditions conceptualized by the Finnish biomedical system as mental disorders, are seen by most Somalis as spiritual and/or social problems. Somali migrants face new sources of suffering and new ways of interpreting them. Consequently, traditional conceptions of mental distress both persist and change. Islamic understandings of healing, including notions of jinn spirits and treatment, continue to be important in exile.
ISSN:1363-4615
1461-7471
DOI:10.1177/1363461510368914