Do Psychiatric Disorders Differ In Different Culture Summary

Kleinman in his paper “Do Psychiatric Disorders Differ in Different Cultures? The Methodological Questions”, he discusses how even collecting data on psychological disorders can lead to cultural bias, even in disorders that are not classified as culturally bound (Kleinman 1991). By using specific diagnosing criteria, researchers will often include individuals fitting the criteria and excluding those who do not. This process, however, often skews the results of the research because it may increase homogeny when it is not warranted. Along with this, researchers tend to be more inclined to report similarities amongst patients, than differences. This can cause not only the results of research to be skewed but also how data is collected could be

Although all psychological disorders are affected by the culture they are presented in, some syndromes are considered to only exist within specific cultures. A culturally bound syndrome can best be defined as “a collection of signs and symptoms that is restricted to a limited number of cultures by reason of certain psychosocial features. Culture-bound syndromes are usually restricted to a specific setting, and they have a special relationship to that setting (Stern and Fricchione 2010).” Both the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders- 5 (DSM-5) and the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) recognize and include culturally bound syndromes. The DSM-5 identifies more culturally bound syndromes than the ICD but some disorders are cross-listed between the two. Three of these disorders are: Dhat syndrome, Ataque de nervios, and taijin kyofusho. This paper will discuss how anorexia nervosa established cross-cultural validity and how the three aforementioned culturally bound disorders could benefit from similar modifications and increased research, often according to Kleinman’s