Diagnosis and treatment in psychiatry are heavily influenced by cultural
factors. The author argues that the subject of culture warrants a place in
the curriculum of psychiatric residency education. He outlines approaches
to the teaching of cultural psychiatry that have been used successfully in
several departments of psychiatry. He feels that although the medical model
of understanding mental illness has demonstrated its effectiveness in
chemotherapeutic, psychotherapeutic, and other treatments, the cultural
model can often provide unique insights and approaches in patient care.Abstract Teaser