title: Criminal responsibility or lack of cultural awareness? The Andrea Yates story.
abstract: Physicians and other mental health professionals in our state should continue, based on Tennessee's child abuse statutes, to report possible abuse and neglect when indicated even if the behavior is considered culturally normal. In addition, professionals attempting to serve diverse populations must incorporate an understanding of culture, traditions, religious beliefs and other information specific to family interactions. They should include family history of mental illness into the design of their individual treatment plans. Providers should form working partnerships with communities in order to become successful. Ultimately, the solution offered by professionals and the process of problem resolution or treatment should be consistent with, or at least tolerable to, the natural supportive environments that reflect patients' values and their "help-seeking behaviors." The consequences of not understanding and not responding to these influences appropriately can be profoundly deleterious. This may have been a contributing factor with Andrea Yates.
authors.affiliation: Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, Nashville, USA.
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Regan
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alderson
mesh_terms: D003415:Crime / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans