Supple bodies, healthy minds: yoga, psychedelics and American mental health.

Much discussion about mental health has revolved around treatment models. As interdisciplinary scholarship has shown, mental health knowledge, far from being a neutral product detached from the society that generated it, was shaped by politics, economics and culture. By drawing on case studies of yoga, religion and fitness, this article will examine the ways in which mental health practices-sometimes scientific, sometimes spiritual-have been conceived, debated and applied by researchers and the public. More specifically, it will interrogate the relationship between yoga, psychedelics, South Asian and Eastern religion (as understood and practiced in the USA) and mental health.

The Increasing Use of Cannabis Among Older Americans: A Public Health Crisis or Viable Policy Alternative?

Cannabis use among older Americans is increasing. Although much of this growth has been attributed to the entry of a more tolerant baby boom cohort into older age, recent evidence suggests the pathways to cannabis are more complex. Some older persons have responded to changing social and legal environments and are increasingly likely to take cannabis recreationally. Other older persons are experiencing age-related health care needs, and some take cannabis for symptom management, as recommended by a medical doctor. Whether these pathways to recreational and medical cannabis are separate or somewhat tangled remains largely unknown. There have been few studies examining cannabis use among the growing population of Americans aged 65 and older. In this essay, we illuminate what is known about the intersection between cannabis and the aging American population. We review trends concerning cannabis use and apply the age-period-cohort paradigm to explicate varied pathways and outcomes. Then, after considering the public health problems posed by those who misuse or abuse cannabis, we turn our attention to how cannabis may be a viable policy alternative in terms of supporting the health and well-being of a substantial number of aging Americans. On the one hand, cannabis may be an effective substitute for prescription opioids and other misused medications; on the other hand, cannabis has emerged as an alternative for the undertreatment of pain at the end of life. As intriguing as these alternatives may be, policy makers must first address the need for empirically driven, representative research to advance the discourse.

[Medicalization of social problems using the example of patients with pain]. / Medikalisierung sozialer Probleme am Beispiel von Schmerzpatienten.

The number of invalidity pensions for mental and psychosomatic disorders has dramatically increased in the last decade. Given the experience in sociomedical assessment of people with chronical pain diseases, we developed the impression that primarily social problems-especially long-term unemployment-play an important role in the processes of chronification of pain diseases. We evaluated 100 expert opinions from 2002-2007 according to quantitative and qualitative critieria. We found that at the time of applying for retirement nearly the whole sample was long-term unemployed and that the especially these people suffered from diseases characterized by pain at the beginning of their patient career and they all had received a large range of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. Only during the course of their disease-usually after the rejection of their application for pension by expert medical opinions-did they receive the diagnosis in the field of psychiatry and psychosomatics. In a next step they were assessed by experts in the field of psychiatry and psychosomatics. In this article, the important social factors that influence this development are discussed.

The hidden practices and experiences of healthcare practitioners dealing with fuel poverty.

BACKGROUND: Fuel poverty negatively impacts a population's health affecting life chances along the life course. Moreover, it represents a substantial inequality in the UK. Healthcare practitioners (HCPs) have a key role in identifying and supporting patients who are fuel poor. METHODS: A qualitative inquiry with District Nurses and General Practitioners, to explore their understanding and experiences of dealing with patients living in fuel poverty. RESULTS: Participants recognize fuel poverty by observing material cues. They perceive their relationship with the patient as pivotal to recognizing the fuel poor. Practitioners' sense of responsibility for their patients' social concerns is determined by their knowledge about the link to health outcomes. The services that they sign-post to are motivated by their experience dealing with the service, or their patients' experiences of the service. CONCLUSION: Participants' reliance on temporary material cues resulted in few experiences of recognition of the fuel poor. HCPs' perceptions of patient pride and the lack of personal relationship between doctor and patient presented barriers to identifying fuel poor patients. A limitation of this study is the small sample size of nine participants. These came from two professional groups, which afforded more depth of exploration, but may limit applicability to other professionals.

Rewriting the history of Chinese families in nineteenth-century Australia.

The nineteenth-century Chinese population in Australia was made up mostly of men, drawing many commentators to the conclusion these men faced an absence of family life, resulting in prostitution, gambling, opium use and other so-called vices. Recent research has, however, expanded and complicated our knowledge of Chinese families in New South Wales and Victoria, particularly concerning the extent to which Chinese men and white Australian women formed intimate relationships. This article traces the origins of the misconceptions about Chinese families in nineteenth-century Australia, and considers how new directions in scholarship over the past decade are providing methods for enlarging our knowledge. It argues that instead of being oddities or exceptions, Chinese-European families were integral to the story of Australia's early Chinese communities.

The two worlds of race revisited: a meditation on race in the age of Obama.

Nearly fifty years ago, the American Academy organized a conference and two issues of its journal "Daedalus" on the topic of "The Negro American." The project engaged top intellectuals and policy-makers around the conflicts and limitations of mid-1960s liberalism in dealing with race. Specifically, they grappled with the persistent question of how to integrate a forced-worker population that had been needed but that was socially undesirable once its original purpose no longer existed. Today, racism has been discredited as an idea and legally sanctioned segregation belongs to the past, yet the question the conference participants explored -- in essence, how to make the unwanted wanted -- still remains. Recent political developments and anticipated demographic shifts, however, have recast the terms of the debate. Gerald Early, guest editor for the present volume, uses Barack Obama's election to the presidency as a pretext for returning to the central question of "The Negro American" project and, in turn, asking how white liberalism will fare in the context of a growing minority population in the United States. Placing his observations alongside those made by John Hope Franklin in 1965, Early positions his essay, and this issue overall, as a meditation on how far we have come in America to reach "the age of Obama" and at the same time how far we have to go before we can overcome "the two worlds of race."

Doing psychology, doing inequality: rethinking the role of psychology in creating and maintaining social inequality.

The relationship between psychological disciplines and inequality has been a subject of great scholarly interest in the last several decades. Most works on the subject analyze macro features of psychological disciplines (mainly their evaluative tools, theoretical assumptions, and disciplinary power) and criticize them as biased against minorities. This paper re-examines the relationship between psychology and inequality from a micro, face-to-face standpoint. Drawing on close observations of 33 placement committees in which professionals from various psychological fields (psychology, social work, school counseling, etc.) discuss children's eligibility for special education services, it portrays the actual doing of psychology as an inconsistent and malleable endeavor. In contrast to the macro-oriented research on the relationship between psychology and inequality, it shows that in actual face-to-face interactions, professionals use different types of folk concerns that often exchange formal evaluative criteria, theoretical assumptions or professional authority in final placement decisions. By revealing the different folk considerations professionals use to sort and analyze working- versus middle-class parents, this project adds an essential layer to scholarly understanding of the relationship between psychological practice and inequality.

Communal violence and child psychosocial well-being: qualitative findings from Poso, Indonesia.

This exploratory study examined the health care system in relation to communal violence-related psychosocial wellbeing in Poso, Indonesia, as preparation for conducting a cluster randomized trial of a psychosocial intervention. We employed focus groups with children (N = 9), parents (N = 11), and teachers (N = 8), as well as semi-structured interviews with families affected by communal violence (N = 42), and key informants (N = 33). An interrelated set of problems was found that included poverty, an indigenized trauma construct, morally inappropriate behavior, inter-religious tensions, and somatic problems. Participants emphasized social-ecological interactions between concerns at different systemic levels, although problems were mainly addressed through informal care by families. The programmatic and research implications of these findings are discussed.

Moral transgression, disease and holistic health in the Livingstonia Mission in late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Malawi.

This article examines ideas of morality and health, and connections between moral transgression and disease in both Scottish missionary and Central African thought in the context of the Livingstonia Mission of the Presbyterian Free Church of Scotland in Malawi during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. By concentrating on debates, conflicts and co-operation between missionaries and Africans over the key issues of beer drinking and sexual morality, this article explores the emergence of a new "moral hygiene" among African Christian communities in Northern Malawi.

How social difficulties produce cognitive problems during the mediation of psychosis: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The study examines effects of social difficulties such as invalidating and stressful relationships and lack of social support on cognitive processes in psychosis. METHODS: Biographical and ethnographic methods deriving insights from personal experience of psychosis; interactions with patients in hospital and hostel care and from group work. CONCLUSIONS: Social stresses can damage the self, resulting in disarray to executive control, serial ordering, organizational and retrieval processes. Negative social experiences also skew probability judgements of the likelihood of threat/ betrayal which may be confirmed by coincidences--resulting in the adoption of a risky decisional style. This maximizes perceptions confirming of a delusional belief.

Teresa Urrea: Mexican mystic, healer, and apocalyptic revolutionary.

This article is a study of the mystical and apocalyptic dimensions of Teresa Urrea. As explained in this article, Urrea's mystical experiences and visions are unique for their connection with a propheticapocalyptic and political worldview. This apocalyptic dimension is more than a communication of a hidden message or spiritual world; it also includes a reading of history that is catastrophic and discontinuous. The crisis and terror of history are given expression in Urrea's mystical and apocalyptic pronouncements. In particular, the chaotic and oppressive circumstances of Mexican society during the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz was confronted and denounced in Urrea's mystical and apocalyptic ministry. This apocalyptic healer castigated those culpable or even complicit with the injustices affecting the indigenous communities of Mexico during the late nineteenth century. In the case of Urrea, the transformation and healing of Church and society was an important aspect of her spiritual, healing powers. Because Urrea possessed neither arms nor the weapon of the pen, her sole weapon became her mystical experiences and the insight and healing powers that flowed from them. People of Mexico­especially indigenous groups­began to flock to her hoping that she would bring God's presence to the troubled and chaotic circumstances of their lives. Her compassion and tenderness for the afflicted as well as the apocalyptic expectations that she stirred up among the indigenous groups of Northern Mexico were enough to get this mystical-political Mexican mestiza exiled from her homeland.

The African American experience in the Islamic faith.

Disparity of health outcomes has been identified as a key concern in the health of Americans. Marginalization of the African American population may be a contributing factor. Identification of health protectors may prove key in decreasing disparities. The effect of spirituality on health is discussed. A historical overview of the African American experience in the Islam faith, from the Nation of Islam to universal Islam, is presented. A systematic assessment of the Islamic faith, with emphasis on the African American Muslim, was conducted as an assessment for a Community Health Nursing class. Leininger's Sunrise Model of Culture Care Diversity and Universality, with the ethnonursing model of data collection, served as the framework for data collection and analysis. The Islamic faith was noted to offer holistic direction for a "way of life" that promotes health and harmony of the mind, body, and soul. Implications for research were discussed.

Epidemiology of infertility: social problems of the infertile couples.

Infertility is of public health importance in Nigeria and many other developing nations because of its high prevalence and especially due to its serious social implications. A review of the epidemiology of infertility in Nigeria and other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa is presented and socio-cultural issues including the social impact on couples are discussed. The major cause of infertility in Africa is infection--STDs, post-abortal and puerperal sepsis. Beliefs about causes, and failure of orthodox methods of treatment have led many couples to seek solution from traditional doctors and faith healers without success. Infertility causes marital disharmony, which often leads to divorce. Women are often blamed for the infertility and men engage in polygyny in an attempt to have children. The couple can also suffer stress from the management of the infertility. Adoption is not popular and assisted reproduction has medico-legal implications. Preventive measures are suggested, including counselling at every stage of the management.

Infertility: a sociological analysis of problems of infertility among women in a rural community in Nigeria.

This study highlighted the problems of infertility among-women in Ilora rural community. The result revealed that in spite of high fertility rate and high rate of pregnancy wastage, 8.7% out of the 400 women studied were found to be infertile. It is interesting to note that in a strictly polygamous environment, almost half of the women suffering from infertility were found to be the only wife of their respective husbands. The African concept as to the solution to the problems was also discussed, and highlighted in relation to awareness of possible hospital treatment of their conditions.