Presenter(s): Joan Hicks
Faculty Mentor(s): Alicia DeLouize
Poster 82
Session: Social Sciences & Humanities
The diversity of humanity should be included in any discussion surrounding mental health in order to work towards de-stigmatizing mental health disorders. I will focus mainly on how stigma of depression influences the reports of symptoms of depression in Ghana, and we hypothesize that stigma will predict the symptoms that are reported by participants in each population. Using data from the WHO’s study on Global AGEing and Adult Health, we will compare the level of stigma in Ghanian populations to the symptoms of depression reported, the under diagnosis of depression, and the diagnosis of depression. Gender differences, age differences, income differences, and educational differences, that may influence stigma surrounding depression, as well as the manifestation, and reporting of these symptoms, will also be explored. This will lead to further discussion surrounding culturally specific techniques to recognize, and identify depression in Ghana, and other countries.