CULTURE AND CLASSIFICATION - THE CROSS-CULTURAL APPLICATION OF THE DSM-IV

Changes incorporated into the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Sta tistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Asso ciation, 1994) include a number of features designed to enhance its cr oss-cultural applicability. However, the overt move toward a culture-s ensitive nosology is undermined by an implicit assumption of the unive rsality of its primary syndromes. In this review we argue that the DSM -IV's underlying thesis of universality based on Western-delineated me ntal disorders is problematic and has limited cross-cultural applicabi lity. Research on the cross-cultural manifestation of schizophrenia an d depression. shows that presentation of these disorders varies signif icantly across cultures. We conclude by discussing the research and cl inical implications of these findings. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.