Cultural Psych. Ch.12 pg. 458-482

Question 0

Depression (universal elements and cultural differences in prevalence and manifestation)

Answer 0

1. Depression found in every culture, although prevalence varies across cultures. According to DSM-IV-R in America, major depressive disorder is diagnosed if one has at least five of nine symptoms: Depressed mood; inability to feel pleasure; fatigue or loss of energy; feelings of worthlessness or guilt; suicidality.
2. Less commonly diagnosed in other cultures, in china it is one- fifth of that in America.
3. In America depression as high as 44%.
4. Not all depressed people show the same symptoms
5. Chinese individuals may have social stigmas associated with psychological disorders rather than physiological ones and Americans may not.
6. Chinese less willing to discuss mental illness than Americans.
7. Patients from different cultures might not notice different symptoms. (Chinese less emotional, Americans more emotional).
8. Symptoms maybe experienced differently (Chinese view mind body as integrated, Americans view mind body as seperate).

Question 1

Definition of Psychological Disorder

Answer 1

Rare behaviors that impair the individual
1. Problems: what types of mossier meant is problematic? What if a behavior that is rare in one context is not rare in another.

Question 2

Neurasthenia (definition, how is it manifested in different cultures)

Answer 2

1. Many Chinese psychiatric patients are diagnosed with neurasthenia = poor appetite, headaches, insomnia, inability to concentrate.
2. Neurasthenia was dropped from the American DSM because symptoms were more physiological than psychological.
3. Some have argued that most Chinese neurasthenia actually qualify for depression, even if only 9% of them report feeling depressed and most respond well to anti-depressant mess.

Question 3

Cultural differences in “psychologization” and “somatization” of depression

Answer 3

1. Somatization- experiencing symptoms primarily in your body. (Neurasthenia) (fatigue, sleep problems)
2. Psychologization- experiencing symptoms primarily in your mind. (Depressed mood, feeling of guilt).
3. Americans show flattening, hardly respond to emotional eliciting stimuli. (Psychologization).
4. Asian Americans show exaggerated emotional responses to same stimuli. (Somatization).

Question 4

Suicide rates (cultural differences in prevalence and motivations for suicide)

Answer 4

1. Suicide rates vary around the world but it is universal.
2. Micronesia and Eastern Europe have highest rates. (Loss of employment opps., family structure moved to more nuclear household, loss of traditional roles for young men as society westernizes).
3. Muslim nations have the lowest.
4. Motivations in the West usually include substance abuse or depression.
5. Motivations in Japan often deal with accepting responsibility and/or preserving honor.

Question 5

Culture-bound syndromes (know ALL the examples from the book, not just those discussed in class)

Answer 5

Experiencing a culture-bound syndrome requires one to have cultural beliefs associated with the syndrome.
1. South Asian men may suffer from dhat. Being susceptible to dhat requires that the person have the relevant beliefs that relate semen and health.
2. Hikikomori Patient drops out from the social word, barricading himself in a room for years. Cause may be failure to succeed in a social world that has few options for those who don’t fit in. Does not conform to criteria for any DSM-IV-R diagnoses. Approx. one child per classroom in junior high and high school is afflicted.
3. Anorexia/Bulimia Nervosa in America. Anorexia—an individual’s refusal to maintain normal body weight due to preoccupation with their body. Evidence of culture-bound status: Huge increase in rates of anorexia this century; found in only some cultures.
Evidence of universality: Reports of self-starvation in numerous cultures, but not due to body image.
4. Koro, a disorder in south and east Asia, especially china where a man has a morbid fear that his penis is shrinking into his body. Caused death, anxiety, and terror. (In women, it’s the nipple that will shrink).
5. Amok, phenomenon in Southeast Asia (Malay culture) that is defined as an acute outburst of unrestrained violence, homicidal attacks, and ending with exhaustion and amnesia. More common in smokes, instigated by stress, lack of sleep and alcohol consumption.
6. Hysteria, 19th century European did order in which women exhibited symptoms of fainting, insomnia, sudden paralysis, temporary blindness, loss of appetite for food and sex, and tendency to cause trouble.
7. Frigophobia
8. Susto
9. Voodoo death
10. Latah
11. Malgri
12. Agonias
13. Brain fag syndrome
14. Ataques de nervios

Question 6

Cultural differences in social anxiety disorder (prevalence, manifestation in different cultures)

Answer 6

1. Social Anxiety Disorder = a fear of acting in an inept and unacceptable manner, leading to negative social consequences
2. Research has shown that East Asians report more social anxiety symptoms than European-Americans.
3. Accordingly, evidence suggests that interdependence is associated with heightened social anxiety.
4. Despite experiencing more symptoms, there is less evidence of people who meet clinical criteria for social anxiety disorder.
5. Such a paradox may be due to differences in what behaviors are considered culturally normative.
6. Universal syndrome