Approaches To Cross Cultural Psychiatry

From specialists in several disciplines—psychiatry, general medicine, anthropology, sociology, and social work—the editors of this volume have assembled reports on a search for ways of identifying mentally ill people in other cultures and of determining what kinds of sociocultural factors influence the origin, course, and outcome of psychiatric disorders. The contributors have approached the subject through reviews of the literature, seminar discussions, and exploratory field studies carried out in Nova Scotia and among Eskimos, Navahos, and Mexicans. The book provides a methodological approach to important issues and problems in an area in which there is as yet only limited and uncertain knowledge. It will be useful to psychiatrists and epidemiologists working outside their own cultures, to psychologists and anthropologists, and as a handbook for specialists in mental health.

Cultural psychiatry has been the portal through which advances in the social sciences have found their way into medical practice and health policy. Diverse issues and activities in research and practice of cultural and transcultural psychiatry are collected in this timely volume. The contributions can be summarized in three main topics: interdisciplinary settings for practice and research; migration, trauma and the context of migrant mental health, and cultural lessons for treatment. This book provides essential reading for health professionals and social scientists who would like to understand how culture influences mental health as well as the treatment and prevention of mental illness. It will be of special interest to medical anthropologists concerned with the relationship between culture theory and psychiatry, mental health care providers and policy makers in an international environment.

Some of the most innovative and provocative work on the emotions and illness is occurring in cross-cultural research on depression. Culture and Depression presents the work of anthropologists, psychiatrists, and psychologists who examine the controversies, agreements, and conceptual and methodological problems that arise in the course of such research. A book of enormous depth and breadth of discussion, Culture and Depression enriches the cross-cultural study of emotions and mental illness and leads it in new directions. It commences with a historical study followed by a series of anthropological accounts that examine the problems that arise when depression is assessed in other cultures. This is a work of impressive scholarship which demonstrates that anthropological approaches to affect and illness raise central questions for psychiatry and psychology, and that cross-cultural studies of depression raise equally provocative questions for anthropology.

Every health professional interacts with patients from different cultures to their own, not just those from different countries, ethnic or religious groups, but also those with cultural differences due to sexual orientation, lifestyle, beliefs, age, gender, social status or perceived economic worth. The potential for confusions in communication and consequent problems are even greater in primary care mental health than in other areas.This guide for all health professionals provides a model for working in mental health across cultures, and outlines practical ways of using psychotherapy skills across cultures. It can be used as personal preparation by individuals in any primary care setting at home or abroad, or as a teaching tool for use with health professionals travelling to another culture, including overseas aid workers and those moving to a new country. It is also of great value to everyone interested in transcultural medicine. 'Wherever we work, whoever we are, we are working across cultures, often without realising it. The first step is to become conscious of this fact. The next step is to read this book' - Jill Benson and Jill Thistlethwaite.

`There are many insights and nuggets of value in this collection. Maurice Lipsedge reminds us how badly psychiatry needs anthropology's insights.This book should contribute to the ongoing dialogue between the two fields.' - The Journal of the Royal Antropological Institute `The editors states in the introduction that they wish to encourage the reader `to meet halfway the other discipline'. This expresses the view which all the contributors clearly feel and which is correct, that psychology and psychiatry and anthropology have much to offer each other and indeed are similar in several respects'. - The International Journal of Social Psychiatry `As an introductory text the book is perhaps too difficult, but for students of medical anthropology and cross-cultural psychiatry it offers a useful up to date assessment of the field.' - The International Journal of Social Psychiatry 'This text brings together some noted clinicians and researchers in psychiatry and mental health. The aim is to explore what we can learn from anthropology to achieve a contextual understanding of mental illness and health in contemporary society. The book contains a wide selection of ideas, and works well to bridge the gap between anthropolgy and psychiatry. This book is definitely not for the novice or anyone new to the field. It is, however, worth reading to explore ways in which mental health practitioners can make the shift from ideologies, theories and practices that are only interested in establishing the presence or absence of pathology or illness, towards theory and practice that take account of the meaning of those experiences for people in their everyday lives. One of the authors sums this up well by suggesting that "anthropologically informed methods of enquiry have potential to help establish clearer links between personal suffering and local politico-economic ideologies".` - Openmind. No110, July/Aug 2001 The relevance of transcultural issues for medical practice, including psychiatry, is becoming more widely recognized and medical anthropology is now a major sub-discipline. Written for those working in the mental health services as well as for anthropologists, Anthropological Approaches to Psychological Medicine brings together psychiatry and anthropology and focuses on the implications of their interaction in theory and clinical practice. The book reaffirms the importance of anthropology for fully understanding psychiatric practice and psychological disorders in both socio-historical and individual contexts. The development and use of diagnostic categories, the nature of expressed emotion within cross-cultural contexts and the religious context of perceptions of pathological behaviour are all refracted through an anthropological perspective. The clinical applications of medical anthropology addressed include, in particular, the establishing of cultural competence and an examination of the new perspectives anthropological study can bring to psychosis and depression. The stigmatization of mental illness is also reviewed from an anthropological perspective. Encouraging practitioners to reflect on the position of medicine in a wider cultural context, this is an exciting and comprehensive text which explores the profound importance of an anthropological interpretation for key issues in psychological medicine.

This is the definitive textbook on global mental health, an emerging priority discipline within global health, which places priority on improving mental health and achieving equity in mental health for all people worldwide.

Over the past decade, cultural psychiatry has become an increasingly important branch of psychiatric research. From the impact of cultural factors on causation, expression, and management of mental health disorders to the development and acceptance of cultural formulation in recent research, it is evident that cultures play a major role in both the genesis and management of psychiatric symptoms. Practical Cultural Psychiatry is a succinct, practical handbook focusing on the clinical impact culture has on mental health disorders worldwide. Covering key topics on migration, racism, self-identity, and social networks, this resource offers practical advice on assessing, investigating, and managing psychiatric conditions. The authors place particular focus on how clinicians can approach patients from different cultural backgrounds than their own to promote pathways to care and patient experience. Written by leading voices in this expanding field, Practical Cultural Psychiatry is a useful tool for all mental health clinicians wishing to improve their approach to multiculturalism and cultural identity in daily practice.

Developed primarily in the consulting rooms and universities of Europe and North America, traditional forms of psychological assessment and treatment are not up to the task of dealing with today's culturally diverse patients. In an increasingly multicultural society, where basic terms such as "normality" and "family" can have radically varying definitions, it is not unusual for well-meaning clinicians to inadvertently misclassify unfamiliar behaviors or beliefs as abnormal or pathological. Ultimately, the solution lies in educational reform. In the meantime, a major first step toward ensuring that ethnically different patients receive quality mental health services is the adoption of culturally sensitive assessment and intervention models such as those described in this pathbreaking book. The culmination of its authors' many years of experience in working with culturally diverse patients, this timely guide arms practitioners with an array of innovative—yet clinically grounded—approaches to psychological assessment, intervention, and training. With the help of numerous case examples drawn from their work with Asian, Caribbean, African American, and Hispanic clients, Drs. Gopaul-McNicol and Brice-Baker illustrate a four-step approach that entails assessing problems within their familial and sociocultural contexts, and then tailoring interventions that take full advantage of the religious, social, educational, familial, and legal institutions that shape an individual's experiences and beliefs. The authors begin with a trenchant critique of traditional mental health training, in which they expose built-in cultural and historical biases that effectively hobble a trainee's ability to think multiculturally. They next explore a range of assessment issues, describe clinically validated techniques for treating culturally diverse children, parents, and couples, and outline best practices in report writing for linguistically and culturally diverse clients. In their discussion of clinical issues that arise when dealing with culturally diverse families, they detail a proven Multicultural/Multimodal/Multisystems (Multi-CMS) approach to intervention. Returning to the topic of education in the final section, they outline the major competencies needed to develop a trainee's multicultural skills, and offer valuable training suggestions for professors and clinical supervisors. Describing a dynamic new approach to cross-cultural assessment and treatment, Cross-Cultural Practice is valuable reading for both professionals and students in mental health. A dynamic new approach to cross-cultural assessment and treatment The Global Village presaged by Marshall McLuhan in the 1960s has arrived with a vengeance. For many mental health professionals this brings with it the daunting challenge of working with patients with a vast array of beliefs, values, customs, and behaviors. This groundbreaking book helps clinicians meet the challenge of assessing and treating diverse clients by arming them with a bold new multicultural approach. Using numerous case examples drawn from their years of practice with Asian, Caribbean, African American, and Hispanic clients, the authors: Describe proven techniques for assessing culturally diverse children, parents, and couples Develop a proven Multicultural/Multimodal/Multi-systems (Multi-CMS) approach to intervention Expose the cultural biases at the core of conventional mental health training Outline the major competencies needed to develop a trainee's multicultural skills and develop alternative approaches to clinical training