Culture-Bound Syndromes Essay

Certain mental illnesses are unique to cultures. They are recognizable only within a particular society, at a particular time. Such disorders are medically and anthropologically known as “culture-bound” or “culture specific” syndromes.

Culture-bound syndrome is the amalgamation of some somatic symptoms i.e. body pain or disturbed function of any organ and psychiatric symptoms such as alterations of the experiences and behaviors which are considered to be perceptible diseases in the specific culture. A list of most common culture-bound syndrome is included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) and some of them are discussed below.

For this assignment, I will define the reason, range, and nature of the disorder, such as the number of individuals identified and being treated, the demographics, and other issues of interest. I will also elaborate on how the selected disorder is detected as well as how the selected disorder is treated. Furthermore, I will separate the analysis of this disorder from those of the other disorders within the same analytical category. In addition, I will provide a statement on culturally bound syndromes, cultural biases, or the interaction between assessment and diagnosis and culture. Lastly, I will provide my completed professional interview as well as interview data pertinently and essentially combined into the body of this paper.

To formulate an accurate evaluation and differential diagnosis for this case, it is important to first consider the cause, nature and manifestation of symptoms that indicated genuine concern, and how it meets criteria for comorbid disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual – 5 (DSM-5). Combined with current research to theory, treatment and prevention of mental illness, the aforementioned will then be outlined by the psychodynamic and socio-cultural models of abnormality. Wherein, each theoretical model will examine directly, previous research on abnormal functioning, presenting clinical concerns and suggested treatment modalities for the specific set of symptoms. In addition, I will take into account the legal and ethical considerations,

The term culture-bound syndrome was included in the fourth version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) which also includes a list of the most common culture-bound conditions (DSM-IV: Appendix I). Included in DSM-IV-TR (4th.ed) the term cultural-bound syndrome denotes recurrent, locality-specific patterns of abnormal behavior and troubling experience that may or may not be linked to a particular DSM-IV-TR diagnostic category. Many of these patterns are naturally considered to be illnesses, or at least afflictions, and most have local names. Although presentations conforming to the major DSM-IV-TR categories can be found throughout the world, the

Eastern and western cultures tend to show and deal with mental illnesses differently, mainly due to the differences in cultural and social norms. There is a lot of speculations regarding what causes mental illnesses such as depression, despite all the speculations there really is still no clear answer for the causes. Although holding an extreme personality type which conflicts with societies values has been found to be a risk factor. When diagnosing a patient with a mental illness, cultural, ethnic background and social norms need to be taken into consideration along with other factors. Since depending on where that individual is from, and where they are being diagnosed can drastically change the diagnosis. Cultural differences in values, beliefs, and practices may contribute to mental illnesses, eventual

Culture bound syndrome is a broad rubric that encompasses certain behavioral, affective and cognitive symptoms associated with certain cultures. It may be unreasonable to except one term to describe different concepts. In medicine and anthropology, a culture bound syndrome, culture specific syndrome is a combination of psychiatric symptoms that are considered to be recognizable disease only within a specific culture (Singh, 2011). The symptoms derived from the usual behavior of the individuals associated with the culture and are the reason many stress/distress activities. However, the available information and literature on these conditions suggest that at least some of them are/have been more widely prevalent than being considered. There

After reading the text, viewing the different cultural videos, and the culture of emotions video I started to realize many common themes and connections to build my knowledge base. One very important difference across all materials for this course was the difference between western and eastern/non-western cultural beliefs, specifically when looking at indigenous healing practices. It is clearly essential for the helping professional to be knowledgeable about cultural backgrounds and culture-bound syndromes that may occur for each cultural population. As the text stated, culture-bound syndromes are disorders specific to a cultural group or society but not easily given a diagnosis (Sue & Sue, 2013). There is a chart in the text that describes

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act.

The American Psychiatric Association has published a reference book, known as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-5, which aids in identifying mental disorders in a common and easy to understand language for a variety of psychiatric conditions (APA, 2013). Additionally, the DSM- allows for the inclusion of cultural, social, and familial norms in regards to how they may affect the display of psychiatric symptoms (APA, 2013). Although there have been several updates to the DSM based on the advances that have been made in research and the understanding of mental disorders, for the purposes of the current paper, the most recent published version will be used, the DSM-5, which was published in 2013

Illness is a period of sickness that can be further categorized into two parts: mental illness or physical illness. Physical illness can occur anywhere on or in one’s body, while mental illness occurs in the brain. Since mental illness occurs in such a sensitive area it differs from physical illness in the sense that there is no universal symptom for a certain mental illness such as depression, but there are hundreds of symptoms for a mental disorder throughout the world. These inconsistencies based on region can best be explained in Ethan Watters essay titled, The Mega Marketing of Depression in Japan. Watters’ discusses how a pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline, sponsored a seminar in order to discuss ways to market their antidepressant drug, Paxil, in Japan. GlaxoSmithKline executives were “learning how to market a disease” in a country that did not even have a direct translated word for depression (Watters 516). The scholars presenting at the seminar distinguished that while depression may seem as a universal illness to the western society, there are many differences in the way people interpret an illness, how culture impacts one’s view on illness and how understanding of diagnoses differs from place to place.

Mental Health is a very subjective term and the cultural social aspects that surround it can be debilitating. Mental health can affect every aspect of the individuals’ life, but it also does not affect everyone the same way. It can effect a persons’ education, health (mental and or physical), employment, and relationships. Not only does an individual have to deal with the symptoms and other disabling aspects that come from the disease itself, but the burden of facing the challenges of the stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination associated with mental health illness. Mental health can impede seeking help, 20 % of Americans who live with a mental health disorder, only 39 % of them received mental health services in 2010 (SAMHSA, 2010). There

Some cultures affect diagnosis of mental disorders. Culture influences the motivation to get help for people with mental illnesses. For example Ugandans culture ridicule people with mental illnesses and the families have to do everything they can to hide it. Culture not only affects mental health but it also plays a role with our physical health as well. Some factors are our diet, social activities, work habits among others and diagnosis of treatments. Through culture, children learn which behaviors and temperaments are preferred and nonpreferred. Culture also plays a role in a child’s motor skills, some cultures don’t allow their babies to be on the tummy’s to start strengthening their muscles, so they can start crawling and eventually walking

One of the controversial topics that exist in the field of psychology today is: whether there is more universality than cultural variation in mental disorders. Some would argue that the specific differences that make up these cultures have an impact on measurement methods, assessment methods, definition of feeling abnormal, etc. They believe different cultures should adopt appropriate techniques in assessing certain mental disorders. Not every culture interacts the same way, shares the same interests, or expresses themselves in the same manner; so how would western methods control for the variances? In contrast, opposing advocates believe that Western practices in the psychiatric field were designed to apply cross-culturally in all countries (Patel, V., 1995). They believe the Western model is a “one size fits all” scheme, which can be applicable to all people from around the globe. The DSM-5 has categorized many disorders compared to previous versions, so for simplicity I will be focusing on a single disorder, depression, with examples from African, East Asian, and Euro Americans as examples from studies. I will proceed to first talk about the con side of the topic, followed by the pro. Finally, I will give my bias opinion on the subject.

The basis of research in a cultural psychiatric disorders assessment, is the result of historical