History and perspectives of transcultural psychiatry and psychotherapy

Transcultural psychiatry and psychotherapy gained importance with the prese nce of immigrants and refugees in contemporary society. Transcultural psych iatry examines the interaction of culture with the symptoms and course of m ental disorders. It focuses on communication and knowledge transfer between professionals and patients and reflects cultural limits in the perception and classification of psychiatric diseases. The past, present, and future o f transcultural psychiatry were discussed during a symposium held in Berlin at a meeting of the Society for Philosophy and the Psychological Sciences and the German Society for Anthropological Medicine, Psychology, and Psycho therapy.