Date of Award
2009
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
Program
Clinical Psychology
First Advisor
Saunders, Stephen M.
Second Advisor
Wierzbicki, Michael
Third Advisor
Torres, Lucas
Abstract
Depression, defined by a EuroAmerican biomedical diagnostic criterion, using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition, Text Revision is prevalent among First Nations peoples. However, some studies suggest that the term depression may hold little heuristic value outside of its EuroAmerican conceptualization. This study utilized qualitative methods to understand how depressive symptoms are conceptualized and experienced by traditional Oneida people. A vignette was presented and in-depth interviews of seven traditional healers, culture and Oneida language experts were conducted to: (1) gain a basic understanding of traditional views of mental health, (2) acquire multiple conceptualizations of someone who presents with DSM-IV-TR symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder including possible causes and treatment, and (3) understand depressive symptoms, as perceived by traditional healers and culture bearers, affects the functioning of the community. Healers set the stage to determine whether the diagnostic label of depression holds heuristic value within the culture and is useful for conceptualizing and treating a patient's symptoms of distress within a traditional cultural counseling setting. The results contribute knowledge about one traditional First Nation's conceptualizations of depression as a diagnostic label and extend a framework for understanding cultural and local idioms for mental health concepts such as depression.