Medicine and culture are two perspectives that are often at odds when it comes to disease and illness. Medicine takes the perspective of natural and purely scientific causes while culture has its own set of solid beliefs that may not always align with these same principles. This project aims to explore this discrepancy between culture and medicine through the focus of immigrant women from Bangladesh. Mental illness in Bangladeshi American women are caused by the economic and social stresses that they face, such as poverty, discrimination, and severe gender roles. In this culture, there is a strong stigma regarding mental illness that often causes the defamation and rejection of patients and their family members. These ailments affect women the most due to the nature of their dependence and inferiority towards men. As a result of this stigma and an inability to confide in doctors for fear of being seen as weak, Bangladeshi women subconsciously turn their mental illness into physical symptoms without a tangible ailment as a way of coping and seeking help. Four Bangladeshi American women were interviewed with questions inquiring about their view of mental illnesses such as depression and how they categorize very stressful situations. Behaviors that were considered somatization in the interviews were particularly highlighted and analyzed. In order to combat the issue of somatization when there are underlying mental health issues, reforms to educate the Bangladeshi community both in America and Bangladesh will aid in diminishing the stigma against mental illness as well as instill more trust in the medical system. Convincing Bangladeshi women to partake in psychotherapy or even family therapy can alleviate household problems and combat fixated gender roles. By becoming more knowledgeable about mental illnesses and the role of the doctor, Bangladeshi women can take a step toward countering somatization once and for all.
