Six years ago, multicultural “Yasmin” from Drammen started the search to find a psychologist. She struggled with anxiety, depression and eating disorders. – I was bullied for being different in my childhood, and carried a lot of shame around it. It developed into an eating disorder, which was my way of defending myself. I thought that if I become thin, I won’t be bullied anymore, she says. Through the district psychiatric center (DPS), she was assigned a psychologist. “Yasmin” often wondered if the psychologist would have treated her differently if she were Norwegian. Photo: Balsharan Kaur / news When she tried to talk about the bullying and the dilemmas she faced as a young multicultural person, “Yasmin” felt that the psychologist was very dismissive. – I was also very afraid that he would take things I said out of context, and think the worst imaginable about me, the culture and my family. I refrained from talking about things I needed, for fear of being misunderstood, says “Yasmin”. Although she still needed help, she stopped going to the psychologist. Psychologists have long waiting lists Vali Ahmazadeh works as a psychologist in Drammen. Vali Ahmazadeh is a psychologist and says that around half of his patients are multicultural. Photo: Vali Ahmazadeh. / Private He says that several of his multicultural patients have often visited other psychologists first and did not feel understood. That is why they choose to come to him. – My waiting list is long, and I have to say no to quite a few. There are not many of us, says Ahmazadeh. Because there are few psychologists with multicultural competence in Norway. Vali hopes the trend will reverse, and believes the solution is to engage in active campaigning aimed at minority youth, to show that psychology is as good a choice as medicine. Wants to become the psychologist she herself never found Psychology student Avnit Kaur believes there is little focus on cultural understanding in the curriculum. Avnit is taking a bachelor’s in psychology at Lillehammer, and during her two years at the university, they have not had a single lecture on the topic. Psychology student Avnit Kaur hopes more research will be done on the link between culture and mental health. Photo: Privat / news – You are missing a piece of the puzzle, because studies show that both genes and the culture we grow up in have a lot to do with how we react to mental stress and deal with problems, she says. Avnit herself has experienced going to a psychologist with a lack of cultural understanding. – The psychologist asked me to speak up and set boundaries with the family, but you don’t learn to set boundaries like an Indian girl. It was a completely foreign concept to me as a 26-year-old. When I said I didn’t know how, I was told that I should have learned it, she says. Avnit says she chose to study psychology both because she wants to understand herself, but also to become the help she herself never found. She hopes to inspire more people with a minority background to choose psychology. Working group to ensure greater diversity On the professional study program in psychology in Oslo, Bergen and NTNU, men are admitted to the study program, because there are too few male applicants. In Tromsø, there are also separate study places reserved for Sami applicants. Vibeke Moe is head of education at the University of Oslo. Photo: Vibeke Moe / Private Head of Education at the University of Oslo (UiO), Vibeke Moe, confirms that there is a need for greater diversity among psychologists. – At UiO, a working group will now be set up to look at how the study can ensure greater diversity in terms of gender, socio-economic and cultural background in the psychology study, she informs. A long journey to get help After six years, “Yasmin” wanted to try to get help again, and in March this year she started looking for a psychologist with multicultural competence. But she couldn’t find anyone available in the area, and ended up choosing the first available psychologist. – The psychologist I found helped me a lot, despite the fact that she doesn’t always understand the cultural part. She is open and asks questions where something is unclear. “Yasmin” avoids certain topics that she says will take a long time to explain. Photo: Balsharan Kaur / news Nevertheless, “Yasmin” holds something back for the psychologist. She avoids topics that would take a very long time to explain. – When it comes to my boyfriend, for example, there is a lot of doubt around whether we should be together because of my religion. The thought of going to hell because I choose to be with him is something I think about often, but don’t tell her. Hi! Do you have thoughts about the case you have read, or tips on what my next case should be about? Feel free to send me an e-mail!
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“Yasmin” (25) spent six years finding a psychologist
