The Effects of Labeling on Health Behavior and Treatment Programs Among North American Indians

This paper focuses on problems that arise when the definitions of illness & appropriate behaviours for patients & healers in American Indian societies are at variance with those of the modern health care system. The author discusses suicide among Hopis & Shoshone-Bannocks as an example of how intracultural & cross-cultural labeling can affect the success of health programs. The reasons why few Indian health programs implement research findings & directions for new research conclude this paper.