CULTURE AND MENTAL HEALTH: DIAGNOSTIC AND ETHICAL PROBLEMS OF THE PROCESS OF HOMOGENIZATION OF DISORDERS ASSOCIATED WITH TRAUMATIC STRESS*

Abstract

Diagnosing a mental disorder is not limited to reconciling the symptoms listed in modern classification systems with symptoms noted during a medical check-up by the psychiatrist. Universal algorithms, protocols and classifications are convenient and have undoubtedly positive consequences as they introduce a common thesaurus for all. However, psychiatric globalization erases details related the place of residence, historical time, social or ethnic characteristics. All these “little things” that are rated as “insignificant” can be crucial in the process of making a diagnostic decision. This article is devoted to the problem of homogenization of ideas about mental pathology; special attention is paid to disorders related to traumatic stress. The author introduces the reader to the multimodal approach to understanding and diagnosing mental disorders, which symptoms depend on the cultural context no less than on biological causes.