Whole-Patient Perspective on Neuroscience in Cross-Cultural Psychiatry: Taking a Systems Approach to Transcultural Research Daina Crafa & Saskia K.

Nagel Mental health is constrained by cultural norms, and disorder symptomatology can vary widely by culture or even be entirely culture-bound. Sustainable psychology within a society requires establishing appropriate mental health resources, an effort which can be slowed by the Western cultural bias in research and the lack of additional research locally. Moreover, local research efforts, many of which are initiated by public health organizations, usually emphasize disorder symptomatology and atypical behaviors over other variations (e.g., neurological or biological factors) that may also be culturally determined. As a result, the etiology of certain disorders may be misunderstood and current therapies and treatments may not adequately address the needs of patients in underrepresented populations. Increasing neuroscientific research in these populations can provide valuable information, particularly regarding etiology, and help diminish cultural biases in therapies and treatments. On the other hand, using neuroscience in cross-cultural research comes with theoretical risks as well. Particularly, overly favorable views of neuroscience can result in imbalanced understanding of disorders and over-emphasize the neural properties of the individual. As a result, essential information, such as behavior and self-reported experience, can become obscured. Here we suggest that cross-cultural research can benefit from a systems approach to mental health. Integrating neuroscientific research into cross-cultural research methodologies must build upon an understanding of the relationship between culture and neural plasticity, reflecting the brains capacity to adapt to different environmental and social factors. Neural events participate in an extensive feedback loop that includes culture, behavior, perception, and experience, among many others. Through understanding neural events as interlaced with these other systemic levels, a responsible model for integrating neuroscience into cross-cultural research is proposed. Theoretical and methodological problems with neuroscientific research will also be discussed, as will suggestions for practical applications. Conscientious application of the proposed model can benefit cross-cultural research in general, with particular benefits for building sustainable psychology and improving mental health resources for underrepresented populations.

Citation: Crafa, D., & Nagel, S. (2012, July). Whole-patient applications of neuroscience for cross-cultural psychiatry: taking a systems approach to transnational clinical care. Paper presented at International Congress of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology, Stellenbosch, South Africa.