However, connection to these traditions has been affected during the COVID-19 pandemic due to public health protocols, lack of ability to travel to communities due to lockdown measures, and the shutdown https://www.bet.com/article/n1rvpe/suicide-and-young-black-men-why-the-brothers-feel-alone of cultural gatherings, adding further stress on families and entire communities . The community visioning exercise helped stakeholders to visualize a direction or path forward for addressing existing gaps in the mental health system and opportunities for strengthening Indigenous mental health in the region. A two-day Indigenous mental health forum examined mental health needs and gaps among Indigenous communities across the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) on Treaty 8 territory, in northern Alberta, Canada. Mental health disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada are related to underlying economic, social, and political inequities that are legacies of colonization and the oppression of Indigenous cultures.
How to access services
This paper outlines the insights generated by stakeholder engagement at the forum to identify and prioritize directions for Indigenous mental health and build a vision and strategy for improving mental health services and programs for the region’s diverse Indigenous population. Some barriers (e.g., remoteness, socioeconomic disadvantages, transportation issue) have been considered in measuring the accessibility to primary health services 22, 65,66,67. The Indigenous Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Clearinghouse managed by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare was established to build the evidence base to improve mental health services and outcomes for Indigenous Australians. Telehealth has great potential to deliver care in culturally appropriate settings such as ACCHS and reduces the burden of travel on patients, allowing them to remain with their family and community. While the rate of several types of mental health care and services use may be similar or higher for Indigenous Australians compared with non-Indigenous Australians, there remains unmet need particularly for specialist services, such as clinical psychologists in Remote and Very remote areas. The Final Report released in 2021, found that culturally safe services were not always available to Aboriginal communities in Victoria.
Data findings
Illnesses were seen as conscious beings who visit people and bring teachings. Participants emphasized the idea of relational, non-local mind which places identity in the relationships between people rather than an individual body. Indigenous communities are in many parts of the world, inhabit native lands, and, for millennia, practice their traditions.
Multiple areas for Elders or Knowledge Keepers to be engaged in as ‘cultural mentors’ were identified including in the training of mental health professionals, in schools to teach youth about mental wellness through cultural and traditional practices, and in paid positions working alongside western health providers for home visits. The inclusion of Indigenous voices in the design and delivery of services was highlighted by participants and in particular, engagement and involvement of Indigenous Elders in the design and delivery of services. To address destigmatizing mental health, participants suggested changing the way it is discussed, with positive framing and emphasizing health rather than illness. Several key concepts from the roundtable discussions led to a better understanding about the realities of mental health experiences among Indigenous peoples. At the third stage, the research team (SM, KF) and community partner (BF) met to refine key themes, sub-themes, and the nature and extent of their interconnectedness to inform priorities and direction for Indigenous mental health for the region. The NGT method also served as a stakeholder engagement strategy to support the co-design of priorities and directions for Indigenous mental health and build relationships .
That holistic view, in turn, shapes how researchers think about improving Indigenous people’s well-being. Those domains include mind and emotion, body, family, community, culture, country and spirituality. Dudgeon and coauthors recently outlined a definition of Indigenous flourishing they developed in conjunction with Aboriginal community members. They viewed such assimilation as a form of cultural erasure. These populations are not a monolith; they speak many languages and engage in myriad cultural practices.
- The strengthening of cultural and community connectedness has been recommended for improving mental health services provided to Indigenous peoples .
- “I think we need trauma-informed services and support, which means we are grounding our supports in a non-judgmental, non-oppressive, non-violent approach, encouraging empowerment, choice and safety.”
- According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Indigenous populations are defined as those who are descendants of original inhabitants of a region prior to the establishment of modern states and borders; these populations typically reside in defined geographical territories and self-identify as members of cultural groups distinct from the mainstream society .
- This historical trauma affects AIAN people along with ongoing racism and discrimination.
- In order to provide comprehensive holistic support that includes meeting Indigenous peoples’ basic needs (e.g., housing, food security, shelter, safety, community, social support, health services), organizations need to regularly work collaboratively.