A Brief Note On Culture Bound Syndromes

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Pages: 14

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Culture-Bound Syndromes
By:
Central Arkansas University

Table of Contents

Abstract Pg. 3

Introduction Pg. 4 - 8

Methodology Pg. 8 - 10

Analysis & Discussion Pg. 10 - 11

Conclusion & Recommendations Pg. 11- 13

Bibliography Pg. 14

Abstract
Mental Health as described by LaVeist and Thomas (2005) is “a state of successful performance of mental function, resulting in productive activities, fulfilling relationships with other people, and the ability to adapt to change and cope with adversity” (p. 84). Mental health functioning is important regarding a person’s well-being, being able to interact with others in a healthy manner, and contributes many things to …show more content…
Culture-bound syndromes can also appear to be similar within several cultures. Furthermore, a culture specific syndrome can be categorized by various things. The APA (1994) characterizes culture specific syndromes as the following: categorization as a disease in the culture, familiarity within a widespread culture, people with lack of familiarity of specific conditions from other cultures, and the use of folk medicines that particular cultures use as a conditioned sense of usage within a specific culture. More specifically, culture-bound syndromes are not the same as geographically localized diseases with specific biological causes, such as kuru or sleeping sickness, or genetic conditions limited to certain populations, like sickle cell anemia (APA, 1994).
Discussions of culture-bound syndromes have often concerned the amount of different categories of syndromes present in the world today. Many culture-bound syndromes are actually specific cultural representations of illnesses found elsewhere in the world. Some of these responses are not necessarily psychological illnesses but rather are explanatory mechanisms like witchcraft (Simons & Hughes, 1985). Beliefs in witchcraft could seem to be a

Culture Bound Syndromes

Dr. Sumathipala, a professor at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, coined the name for television influenced eating disorders “culture bound syndrome” (Ferguson 2.) The term culture bound syndrome is used to describe unique syndromes that emerge in specific cultures. Of these syndromes Sumathipala studied, eating disorder syndromes took him by surprise. In over 200 clinical studies Sumathipala conducted, Sumathipala’s research and extensive interviews with his subjects were quick…

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Culture Bound Syndromes Essays

Culture-Bound Syndromes Culture-bound syndromes (CBSs) comprise a heterogeneous set of illness phenomena of particular interest to medical anthropologists and to psychiatrists. The eclectic nature of the category makes it hard to define precisely, and has invited much dispute over the best name and definition for it. DSM-IV (844) defines a culture-bound syndrome: recurrent, locality-specific patterns of aberrant behavior and troubling experience that may or may not be linked to a particular DSM-IV…

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Ataque De Nervios Research Paper

The cultural concept I chose for this assignment is Ataque de nervios. Ataque de nervios is a term used by Caribbean Latinos for a culture-bound syndrome that is characterized by episodic, dramatic outbursts of negative emotion in response to a stressor, sometimes involving destructive behavior. Such as crying, shouting and getting aggressive. An Ataque de nervios often follows a stressful life event—e.g., death of family member, divorce or conflict with spouse or children. It was first discovered…

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Do People In Other Cultures Experience As A Disease Or Illness In Western Culture

How people in other cultures experience as a disease or illness might sound strange or funny to most Western orientated people. Anthropologists are researching a diversity of cultures, and they are finding some exotic diseases, for example, Koro, Hsieh-Ping or Amok. These are known as culture bound syndromes. The definition of culture bound syndrome is “view that affliction syndromes and treatments may be specific to particular cultures and thus not comparable as universal conditions” (Maupin. PowerPoint…

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Symptom Experience

derived meaning for the individual experiencing the symptoms (Suchman, 1965:115). Moreover, it includes the emotional response for fear that accompanies both physical and cognitive interpretations (Suchman, 1965:115). Therefore, in dealing with culture-bound syndrome, the sociologist needs to consider what the symptoms of dhat…

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Mental Illness: A Cultural Analysis

The world is consist of various cultures that make up the world there is modern cultures, tribal cultures, and cultures that continue to leave there old traditions. Modern day cultures favor a form of technology that can help diagnosis a person of a mental disorder. The DSM is a Psycholgical tool to help diagnosis a person if they have a mental disorder and it is used to help a Psychologist. Mental illnesses are conditions that afect a persons mood, behavior, and thinking. This paper presents critical…

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Postnatal Depression: A Cultural Analysis

anthropological investigation of postnatal depression centres on a more holistic cultural framework. Here, culture is defined as “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” (Hemingway and Brereton, 2009,p 27). Culture is learned and shared. It has force and power (Boland et al 2013,p 76). Culture is a “silent language”, in the sense that it is often transparent in shaping the individual experience…

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Ethical Diagnosis Of Depression

Therefore, culture influences individual’s life style, behavior and knowledge. According to cultural relativism theory, personality is mainly acquired thru culture. Hence, culture has a major impact on ways that a person interprets and responses to different environmental stressors meaning it is responsible for the subjective variations of illness. Different cultures interpret their symptoms differently, cultural belief influences the understanding…

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Jimmy Santiago Baca

While Kenneth Hartman found a substantive genre through the reiteration of pre-existing texts, Jimmy Santiago Baca is finding significance through the study of his own culture. In terms of establishing one’s authorial credibility, Hartman did not have the duty to examine himself as a gendered or racialized being, whereas Baca is responsible for the latter. While A Place to Stand certainly utilizes its literary allusions to a lesser degree than Mother California and The House on Mango Street, Baca…

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Essay on Eliza: Immune System and Hiv Positive Patient

understand the molecular biology of the human immunodeficiency virus and the pathogenesis of acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The experimental concepts and methodology involved with enzyme-linked immune sorbent (ELISA) assays will be introduced in the context of the clinical screening of serum samples for antibodies to the HIV virus. Background: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a disease characterized by the progressive deterioration of an individual's immune system. The immunological…

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