CULTURE AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

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CULTURE AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

• PSYC 338

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Culture and Psychopathology

• Whats normal and abnormal ?
• Expression of Abnormal Behavior
• Assessment and Diagnosis of Abnormal Behavior
• Explanations of Psychopathology
• Treatment

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Case Study
A Pakistani patient complains of pain and
weakness I have pains in my head, I have a
body ache I have lost all of my
strength Whats your diagnosis?
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Case Study
A patient presents with symptoms of anxiety and
depression She tells you she is tormented by an
evil spirit who has been sent by a jealous
neighbour When she experiences possession she
dissociates and cannot remember what she
does What treatment do you recommend?
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Case Study

• Any attempt to converse with someone, even a
  hallucinating person, is an improvement over
  being withdrawn
• This is a challenge to your willingness to use
  your own good sense
• It would be unwise for me to get between you and
  your supervisor
• Seeing and interacting with the ghost of a dead
  relative is normal and proper behavior among
  Cheyenne

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Whats normal? Mental illness in a Laotian
village

• Dangerous behavior
• Disruptive and dysfunctional activities
• Communication problems
• Delusions
• Inappropriate affect
• Somatic symptoms

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Expression of Abnormal Behavior

• Symptoms of depression
• Affect- depressed mood
• Behavior- withdrawn
• Cognitive- guilt, worthlessness
• Somatic complaints
• Is depression manifest the same way across
  cultures?

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Kleinmans Study of Depression in Taiwan

• 88 complained of somatic symptoms
• 40 never admitted to depressed affect
• 28 rejected the notion they were
  depressed

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Expression of emotion
Matsumotos study of Japanese and Americans
demonstrated that Americans experienced
more intense emotions and for a longer duration
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Assessment and Psychological Testing

• Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory
• Mental disorders are caused by malfunction
• of the vital organs (SOM)
• I have to hide my homosexual orientation
  (SM)
• I feel indebted to people around me. (DEP)

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Assessment and Psychological Testing

• American Indian Depression Scale
• Worry sickness
• Unhappiness
• Heart-broken
• Drunken-like craziness
• Disappointment

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Explanations of Psychopathology

• Biological
• Psychological
• Social
• Spiritual
• Ecological

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Treatment of Psychopathology

• Importance of matching treatment with
  explanation
• Similarity of process across therapeutic
  approaches

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• Culture permeates all aspects of
• Psychopathology
• Experience
• Expression
• Explanation
• Assessment
• Treatment