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Are mental disorders universal conditions experienced by people across the globe or are they better conceptualized as locally specific phenomena? This chapter contributes to this recurrent debate by exploring the intersections between culture and psychiatry.
The chapter both analyzes the concept of culture and explains its influence on how mental health (and illness) is defined, classified, experienced, expressed, manifested and treated. It also discusses the emergence of transcultural psychiatry at the pinnacle of the culture-mental health debate, affirming its strides in forging a psychiatry that recognizes and integrates culture. Additionally, the chapter discusses the emergence and significance of the global mental health movement, highlighting how it has redefined and refined the culture-psychiatry debate overtime.
In summary, this chapter sheds light on the limits of biopsychiatry, expands the discussion on culture in psychiatry, and debunks the notion that psychiatry can be objectivized.