Deaf People With Mental Illness Need Culturally Sensitive Treatment

VIDEO: Deaf people with mental illness need culturally sensitive treatment.



Examiner.com - Medical practitioners need to provide culturally sensitive treatment to members of the Deaf community with psychiatric disorders to ensure they are diagnosed correctly and receive appropriate treatment, says Wolters Kluwer Health.



The report was published in the March Journal of Psychiatric Practice. The authors reviewed the limited research literature available about the mental health care of Deaf patients who communicate via American Sign Language (ASL) or gestures.



Communication strategies: Communication is challenging for Deaf people who communicate in sign language or in gestures.



"Deaf individuals comprise a cultural and linguistic minority group within the United States, and culturally and linguistically appropriate psychiatric treatment must reflect these differences," according to Sarah A. Landsberger, PhD, and coauthors of the Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis.

There are approximately 1.2 Americans with profound hearing loss. Some Deaf people are unable to hear most sounds, even with assistive listening devices such as hearing aids.



Some Deaf people identify themselves as part of the Deaf community, with a unique language – sign – and culture. Sign language is complex and complete with its own syntax, grammar and vocabulary. These deaf people do not think of their hearing loss as a disability. ...READ MORE: http://www.examiner.com/article/deaf-people-with-mental-illness-need-culturally-sensitive-treatment

Medical Research: Rise in Abortions of Deaf Babies

Dailymail.co.uk - Prenatal testing prompts rise in abortions of Deaf babies. Hearing loss can be a curse if it's linked to a revelation as heart-breaking as this.



According to a survey conducted by Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram hospital, a majority of would-be parents would opt for an abortion if knew they are going to have a hearing-impaired child.



The study was published in a recent issue of American Journal of Medical Genetics.



The research-based study was conducted for four years - 2005 to 2009 - on at least 51 families with a history of congenital hearing loss.



"Around 93 per cent of the couples expressed high interest in prenatal diagnosis, while 73 per cent considered termination if the foetus was affected," Dr Ishwar C Verma, chairman, department of genetics, Sir Ganga Ram hospital, said.



The result in cases of hearing couples, in whom genetic anomalies were identified, was even more disheartening.



"All of them opted for prenatal diagnosis. On testing, all the foetuses were found to be affected and the hearing parents elected to terminate the pregnancies," Dr Verma said.



In developing countries such as India, there is an increasing awareness and interest in prenatal testing because genetic disorders of all types, including hereditary deafness, which lead to significant social and economic burden on families due to poor support structure. During the study, doctors found that around 68 per cent would be parents opted for genetic testing. ... READ MORE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2280183/Prenatal-testing-prompts-rise-abortions-deaf-babies.html?ito=feeds-newsxml