title: [How sociocultural aspects influence health and mental health care: A case study on a young gypsy girl with autism].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In some cases, cultural and social aspects are important determinants in health care access. Some authors have found that bilingualism and loss of cultural markers due to immigration or misunderstanding of the institutions of another country result in patients losing the opportunity to receive good care. In this article, we analyze these cultural aspects through the description of an 11-year-old gypsy girl who had autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with mild intellectual disability.
  
  
  METHODS
  An 11-year-old girl lived with her mother, grandmother, and two brothers. She had ASD with mild intellectual disability. The diagnostic procedure was hard to initiate and contact with her mother had been lost twice. Then the mother received help from a psychologist, who played a key role in facilitating the healthcare procedures. During the follow-up, it appeared that each healthcare decision made for the patient (on treatment, type of care) led to a meeting of at least 20 members of the family, who discussed and debated the best decision to make.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taking into account gypsy cultural habits, the psychiatrist's intervention facilitated the initiation and follow-up of care for this patient. Her mother, assisted by the psychologist, better understood institutional procedures and could also change some of her habits to optimize care. Some other members of the family were included in the care procedure, because we understood that it was very important for the mother and to improve alliance and ongoing care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taking into account cultural and social aspects is highly important for the management of care and the therapeutic alliance, especially in child and adolescent psychiatry.
authors.affiliation: SMPEA Peyre-Plantade, hôpital la Colombière, CHRU de Montpellier, avenue du Doyen-Gaston-Girault, 34295 Montpellier, cedex 5, France. Electronic address: v-henry@chu-montpellier.fr.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Henry
authors.affiliation: SMPEA Peyre-Plantade, hôpital la Colombière, CHRU de Montpellier, avenue du Doyen-Gaston-Girault, 34295 Montpellier, cedex 5, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baghdadli
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder; D002648:Child; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D054521:Cultural Competency; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D006178:Romani People