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The study of Middle Eastern mental health syndromes,〔(Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal )〕 is an area of research that continues to grow in its scope and content. In 1998, the World Mental Health Survey Initiative〔(The World Mental Health Survey Initiative )〕 was conducted by the World Federation for Mental Health. The (WFMH) was originally created in 1948 and works in concert with the World Health Organization (WHO). The 1998 survey sought to help define and clarify mental health Issues across many societies. To accurately evaluate and understand the mental health issues of the Middle East, one must take into account the geographic, historical, cultural, and social influences of that part of the world. While each of the many countries commonly considered part of the "Middle East" is unique, there is a binding ethnic fabric that should be considered. Firstly, the Middle East is the origin of many of the major world religions. Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam, all began in this region. Of these many religions, Islam has had the most lasting and culturally significant influence on the region, encompassing well over ninety percent (90%) of the population by some measurements. The tenets of the Islamic faith, and its strict purpose, certainly have served as both a guide and a hindrance to the practices' of mental health care providers in the Middle East. There is a conflict between ancient religious teachings and the modern day or "Western world" approach to the issues of mental health. ==Historical Perspective== Mental health in the Middle East, from Pharaonic times through to the Islamic Renaissance, has a rich and complex history. During Pharaonic times, soma and psyche were terms used to define mental disorders, and such disorders were described as problems of the heart or uterus, as stated in Eber's and Kahoun's Papyri.〔http://www.wrf.org/ancient-medicine/oldest-medical-books.php, "Magic and Medical Science in Ancient Egypt,"(1963), Ghalioungui, Paul〕 While mystical culture predominated at that time, mental disorders were treated on a somatic basis. In the Islamic era, those with mental illness were not known to have endured any forms of torture, nor were they ostracized; this was due to the belief that possession by a good Muslim genie was possible. The first mental hospital in Europe was located in Spain, as discussed by author Paul Ghalioungui, following the Moorish invasions. Mental hospitals then expanded to other European countries. The occurrence of anxiety, schizophrenia, depression, suicide, conversion disorders, and obsessive compulsive disorders had been reported, and these disorders were treated with some success.〔(Ancient Egypt | Treatment of the Mentally Ill )〕 Morality and culture most likely arose from a collective choice of communal decisions to provide an accepted structure of communal living. Geography, tradition, and the specific environment may have been most influential in these decisions. The development or evolution of a social milieu integrated with the culmination of culture. Cultural morality has provided a way of managing conflict within a societal group. Cultural morality and the required behaviors that are cooperative in nature and a cognizance of others within the group, ostracized unhealthy behaviors, and therefore encouraged emotions and actions beneficial to society. These realized constructs provided an outlet and model of motivations and accepted actions within a social group.〔D. Wong, "Natural Moralities," (October 2006), Oxford University Press, 2006 ().〕 In a 1992 study,〔http://www.subjectpool.com/ed_teach/y4person/7_creativity/2010/2PersonalityAndValues.pptx〕 Schwartz, Roccas and Sagiv evaluated how priorities are displayed and altered by a "social experience," Among these there were values that cultures prioritize to varying degrees. Schwartz used these findings in developing his theory of specific types of values, allowing varying cultures to be contrasted with one another. Data was collected from 49 countries and applied to a construct of seven value types. This was done according to the specific priority given by a society to its communal value set. Schwartz selected the seven types of values based on their compatibilities and contradictions to one another. The value types he identified were: "conservatism vs.autonomy," "hierarchy vs. egalitarianism," and "mastery vs. harmony."〔( ) 〕 The value types were then used to examine cultures that were closely related to each other. The theory is based on cultural dimensions so that conclusions can be defined to a degree, while accounting for the entire social matrix. This theory has helped researchers to assess the cultural implications of values on regional cultures. The research also found a correlation between geographical proximity and shared cultural values. Schwartz attributed these relationships to the "shared history", religion, level of development, culture contact, and other factors."〔Shwartz, S. (1999). "A theory of cultural values and some implications for work. International association of applied psychology."〕〔()〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Middle Eastern Mental Health Issues & Syndromes」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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