The Social Determinants Of Health - 1555 Words

From the initial contact of European settlers in North America to the lives of Indigenous people, has had a tremendous impact comprehensively. After so, this contact decimated every aspect of the Indigenous way of life. The health and well-being of Indigenous people initiated to worsen severely not only in the physical aspect but also mental. According to National Household Survey conducted in 2011, 1,400,685 people have been identified as being a member of one of the Aboriginal groups within Canada. Within these Aboriginal groups, critical mental health issues such as major depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder have been experienced at both individual and collective levels†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"The notion of soul wound is one which is at the core of much of the suffering that Indigenous peoples have undergone for several centuries. This notion needs to be understood in a historical context in order to be us eful to the modern therapist providing therapeutic services and consultation to the Native American community† (Duran and Duran, 1995). For generations and till this present day, Indigenous people of Canada have suffered historical trauma immeasurably. It consists mainly of colonization and imposition of systems such as residential schools and reserve systems. Since the initial contact between the European and Indigenous populace, the effects of it has been quite astounding. Colonization has been a crucial factor in affecting mental health of aboriginal people, which has been resisting since beginning. There is no perfect definition for colonization but other foreigners can define it as some form of invasion, dispossession and subjugation of a people’s. It is the process of capturing another nation’s property or territory in purpose of ruling power (History of Colonization, 2012). The invasion could be any kind including a geographical intrusion in the form of ag ricultural, urban or industrial encroachments etc. The large part of Canadian history is the history of colonization of aboriginal people, which has started with the European and Aboriginal relationship (LaRocque, n.d.). This relationship is an unfair by nature that only reimburses the