Aboriginal Women Mental Health Case Study

Health As a result of the difficult historical and current events, Aboriginal women’s overall health situation has suffered. Aboriginal women have a lower life expectancy and have a poor understanding of their own health in comparison to non-Aboriginal women despite the improvements made in the last few decades (Halseth, 2013). Aboriginal women have an increasing large number of health issues in areas such as diabetes, HIV/AIDS, cancer and also the mental health issues that have these women in conditions where they experience domestic violence and drug and alcohol abuse (Halseth, 2013). The physical health of these women has increasingly become a large issue because the climbing rates of type two diabetes resulting from inactivity,

Researchers show that aboriginal women handle segregation differently compared to their male counterparts (Wesley, 2012). In many situations, segregation can have a largely negative impact on the individual and by which compromises their well-being and safety in particular for individuals with a history of sexual and physical abuse (Wesley, 2012). Accounting for the fact that Aboriginal women are proven to have higher levels of having suffered physical and sexual abuse it shows that they tend to be more vulnerable to the negative impacts of being segregated and these harmful impacts can lead to damaging mental health situations triggering mental illness (Wesley, 2012). The low self-esteem, anxiety, feeling hopeless and insecurity that come with being in poverty are links to violence, poor parenting, addiction and lack of social support by which contributing to poor mental health conditions such as depression (Loopie, 2009). In general, studies have stated that women are twice as more likely to experience mental health issues such as depression compared to men but, amongst Aboriginal women certain groups are more vulnerable than others, for example, young Aboriginal women are more likely to go through mental issues (Halseth, 2013). But, determinates such as social, economic and historical events that play such a large role in Aboriginal women’s mental health and lead to depression, psychological disorders and self-destructive behaviours (Halseth, 2013). A serious threat that Aboriginal women experience that trampers with their mental health are the physical, verbal and emotional violence they endure in their own homes and in Canadian society as a whole (Halseth, 2013). These women are three and a half more times likely to experience violence and are also more likely to suffer seriously damaging