Philip Thomas, Patrick Bracken, Salma Yasmeen.
Explanatory models for mental illness: limitations and dangers in a global context
Pak J Neurological Sci Sep 2007;2(3):176-81.
.. ..

This paper outlines a critique of Western biomedical theories of what is called mental illness, and presents an alternative way of responding to mental health problems in people from non-Western cultures. The critique, based on what has been called `postpsychiatry`, problematizes some of the key assumptions that underpin the theory and practice of psychiatry, particularly the problem of how it is possible for us to talk about our inner worlds, and that of causal determinism in psychiatry. Postpsychiatry is also acutely aware of the power relationships that exist between Western and non-Western understandings of distress, and sees these in terms of a contrast between global and local knowledge. In response to the critique, we describe the role of community development in the work of a project called Sharing Voices Bradford, as a way of engaging ethically and sustainably with local understandings in Bradford`s non-Western communities.

Category: Psychiatry
Keywords: Mental Health.

Click here for Full Article

This article has been viewed 141 times

Submit your Research Synopsis for Free Expert analysis - Search- Feedback - Drug Index
Post and View Comments on this Article