Abstract

Ethnopsychiatry mobilizes the cultural knowledge of the individual/group, taking into account the beliefs, perceptions, interpretations and actions that are culturally constructed and acquired. Therefore, from a holistic and humanistic perspective of Care, the contextualization of the individual in their cultural specificity optimizes the process of transition from health to mental illness. There is undoubtedly an uninterrupted link between diseases, etiologies, diagnoses, treatments, prognoses and cultural variation. From this perspective, the illness/mental health binomial displayed and manifested by some peoples is no longer seen as bizarre, but is analyzed in the context in which it is inserted, developed and belongs. As a consequence and because each individual is a unique, exclusive and unrepeatable being, ethical reflection on this topic is essential, as a way of ensuring the principles that guide it. Based on the descriptive method and reflective analysis, some typical cultural disorders are presented, seeking to understand the influence of culture on cognitions and behaviors in the area of mental health/illness, as well as reflecting on the associated ethical aspects.

Keywords

ethnopsychiatry, mental disorders, culture, ethics