The author examines some of the basic postulates and initial
accomplishments of DSM-III from a Latin American vantage point. The
phenomenological approach taken by DSM-III has enjoyed a long and
prestigious tradition in Latin America. The author cites some of the
difficulties posed by the personality disorders section, the exclusion of
cultural criteria and psychocultural syndromes, and the practical
inapplicability of the axis IV and V specifications for Latin American
patients. DSM-III, however, is a challenging stimulus for Latin American
and Third World psychiatrists and a real test for the influence and
consistency of American psychiatry across the world.
Abstract Teaser