“A jelly fish stuck to my stomach”: Experiences of mental distress among women in the Maldives

Abstract

Description of a certain experience as ‘illness’ or distress and the presumed course of treatment developed in one cultural group, may not be applicable to people who share a different set of cultural beliefs about illness and treatment (Kleinman, 1980). Miscommunication occurs in the absence of an understanding of the cultural norms, values and beliefs of the patients (Guindon & Sobhany, 2001) leading to misperceptions and quite possibly to misdiagnosis (Patel, 2001; Wagner et al., 2006). This seminal study provides an empirical understanding of Maldivian women’s mental well-being and contributes a proposed foundation for mental health policy development. Findings of this study may be useful to educate and inform mental health practitioners about culturally congruent and culturally competent approaches to mental health promotion for Maldivian patients and patients who share their cultural concepts such as South Asians.