Mental disorder and cross-cultural psychology: A constructivist perspective

The predominant Western approach to understanding mental disorder, as indic ated in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), is based on a biomedical perspective which sees mental disorders as "natural kinds" or discrete entities which manifest as dysfunction within individual s. Following from this is the view that the DSM's primary syndromes are uni versal, based on the assumption that this dysfunction is similar across div erse human populations. The cross-cultural literature, however; reveals sig nificant differences in the manifestation of these syndromes across ethnic groups thereby challenging the universalist position. In response to this s hortcoming of the predominant contemporary conceptualization of mental diso rder, a constructivist approach is offered which, it is argued, has a numbe r of important advantages over the traditional view. Finally, the implicati ons of a constructivist definition are discussed, demonstrating the importa nt connection between theory and practice. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd.