To obtain "folk" explanations of specific cases of mental illness the
authors interviewed 35 baa(insane) Laotian individuals and their relatives
and neighbors. They obtained 54 explanations; 15 focused on supernatural
causes, 15 on physical causes, 14 on social problems, and 10 on
psychological states. Although 31 theories (57%) focused on etiologic
factors familiar to clinical psychiatrists, many self-evident factors (such
as familial prevalence) were not mentioned. Except for 3 cases,
responsibility for the illness was attributed to factors outside the
subject's control. This view of mental illness absolves the baa person from
blame and ensures support from the social group.
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