
- Psychiatric Times Vol 23 No 14
- Volume 23
- Issue 14
Cultural Psychiatry Comes of Age
Cultural psychiatry can no longer be thought to involve only unusual syndromes that occur in distant societies. The growing literature in attests to the vitality of this field.
Cultural psychiatry is coming of age. It can no longer be thought to involve only unusual syndromes that occur in distant societies. The growing literature in cultural psychiatry attests to the vitality of this field. DSM-IV contains a section on cultural formulations. There is now a major comprehensive textbook on the subject.1 Furthermore, "cultural competence" is becoming a desired attribute in the practice of many health care specialties, in addition to psychiatry. Cultural psychiatry has much to offer other medical specialties.
A number of countries have organizations devoted to the study of cultural psychiatry. In the United States, the Society for the Study of Psychiatry and Culture (
It is in this context that we are pleased to present this Special Report on Ethnicity, Culture, & Race. The articles in this Report are wide-ranging and touch on a number of intriguing issues, including racial profiling and the effects of religion and culture on presentation, interpretation, and management of psychiatric illness. These articles demonstrate that cultural psychiatry is an important part of everyday clinical practice and remind us that all our patients should be treated with sensitivity, dignity, and awareness of their individuality. Indeed, the principles of cultural psychiatry teach us the importance of understanding each patient's background, as well as our own.
Dr Streltzer is professor of psychiatry, The Queen's Medical Center of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
References:
Reference1. Tseng WS. Handbook of Cultural Psychiatry. San Diego: Academic Press; 2001.
Articles in this issue
almost 19 years ago
British Study: Older Antipsychotics Just as Goodalmost 19 years ago
Patients Underreporting Medical Conditionsalmost 19 years ago
Medicare Proposes Outpatient Payment Cutsalmost 19 years ago
MTV Network Increasing Mental Health Awareness at College Campusesalmost 19 years ago
Domestic Violence Linked to Increased Risk of Psychiatric Disorders in Womenalmost 19 years ago
Compulsive Buying Disorder Affects 1 in 20 Adults, Causes Marked DistressNewsletter
Receive trusted psychiatric news, expert analysis, and clinical insights — subscribe today to support your practice and your patients.