"Head take you": causal attributions of mental illness in Jamaica.

Causal attributions are a key factor in explanatory models of illness; however, little research on causal attributions of mental illness has been conducted in developing nations in the Caribbean, including Jamaica. Explanatory models of mental illness may be important in understanding illness experience and be a crucial factor in mental health service seeking and utilization. We explored causal attributions of mental illness in Jamaica by conducting 20 focus groups, including 16 community samples, 2 patient samples, and 2 samples of caregivers of patients, with a total of 159 participants. The 5 most commonly endorsed causal attributions of mental illness are discussed: (a) drug-related causes, including ganja (marijuana); (b) biological causes, such as chemical imbalance, familial transmission, and "blood"; (c) psychological causes, including stress and thinking too much; (d) social causes, such as relationship problems and job loss; and (e) spiritual or religious causes, including Obeah.

"Mad, sick, head nuh good": mental illness stigma in Jamaican communities.

Stigma may be an important factor in mental health service seeking and utilization. However, little work on stigma has been conducted in developing nations in the Caribbean, including Jamaica. We explored mental illness stigma in Jamaica by conducting focus groups with 16 community samples. Four overarching conceptual themes are discussed: (1) community members' definitions of stigma; (2) emotional responses towards those with mental illness, such as fear and love; (3) behavioral responses towards those with mental illness, including avoidance and cautious approach; and (4) perceptions of and beliefs about mental illness, including a distinction between "madness" and "mental illness."

Cardiovascular reactivity to mental arithmetic and cold pressorin African Americans, Caribbean Americans, and white Americans.

BACKGROUND: Caribbean Americans and African Americans, two of the largest Black ethnic groups in the United States, differ in cardiovascular-disease-related mortality rates. PURPOSE: Cardiovascular reactivity to psychological stress may be an important marker or mediator of risk for cardiovascular disease development in Blacks in the United States, yet little attention has been paid to ethnicity among Blacks in reactivity research. This study examined cardiovascular reactivity to psychological stress in African American, Caribbean American, and White American participants. METHODS: Forty-five women and 43 men performed mental arithmetic and hand cold pressor (CP) tasks. RESULTS: Caribbean Americans displayed larger decreases in heart period variability during mental arithmetic than White Americans (p =.02). White Americans exhibited a pre-ejection period decrease, whereas African Americans and Caribbean Americans displayed pre-ejection period increases during CP (p =.023). African Americans exhibited greater decreases in interbeat interval during CP than White Americans (p =.013). Caribbean Americans displayed greater decreases in cardiac output than White Americans during CP (p =.009). White Americans exhibited significantly greater increases in systolic blood pressure than Caribbean Americans during CP (p =.014). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that differences in reactivity to psychological stress exist among Black ethnic groups in the United States and underscore the need to consider ethnicity as a factor in reactivity research with Black Americans.