CULTURAL VARIATIONS: the set of beliefs, values and traditions shared by groups affects the rate of diagnosis of mental illnesses given to the group’s members.
MDD: is a serious medical illness that negatively affects one feels, thinks and acts.
3 main questions can be considered when writing this essay:
Do statistics seem to suggest big cultural variations in MDD? Supporting studies: Kessler et al. (1994) Cooper et al. (1972)
So what about if an emic approach is taken to viewing cultural considerations?
Culture bound syndromes – culture is significant as it produces norms which are then used to judge what is abnormal (link to deviation of social norms concept) Supporting studies: Erinosho & Ayorinde (1981) Binite (1981)