548 CHAPTER 14
culture in which the person with a disorder was nurtured to be able to correctly diagnose
and treat the disorder (Castillo, 1997). For example, in most traditional Asian cultures,
mental illness is often seen as a shameful thing that brings disgrace to one’s family. It may
be seen as something inherited and, therefore, something that would hurt the marriage
chances of other family members, or it may be seen as stemming from something the
family’s ancestors did wrong in the past (Ritts, 1999; Ying, 1990). This leads many Asian
people suffering from disorders that would be labeled as depression or even schizophre-
nia to report bodily symptoms rather than emotional or mental ones, because bodily ail-
ments are more socially acceptable ( Fedoroff & McFarlane, 1998; Lee, 1995; Ritts, 1999).
The conceptualization of culture and its influences on psychological function and dis-
orders has been explained by three concepts: cultural syndromes, cultural idioms of distress,
and cultural explanations or perceived cause (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Cultural
syndromes may or may not be recognized as an illness within the culture but are nonetheless
recognizable as a distinct set of symptoms or characteristics of distress. Cultural idioms of
distress refer to terms or phrases used to describe suffering or distress within a given cultural
context. And cultural explanations or perceived cause are culturally defined ways of explain-
ing the source or cause of symptoms or illness ( American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
It is important to take into account other background and influential factors such as
socioeconomic status and education level. Another area of awareness should be primary lan-
guage and, if applicable, degree of acculturation (adapting to or merging with another culture).
Psychosocial functioning has been part of the diagnostic process for some time now, but tra-
ditionally, greater attention has been paid to specifically identifying symptoms of pathology
rather than focusing on the environmental factors that influence an individual’s overall level of
functioning (Ro & Clark, 2009). For example, in one study, college students of Mexican heritage
with migrant farming backgrounds reported more symptoms of anxiety and depression as
compared to nonmigrant college students of Mexican heritage (Mejía & McCarthy, 2010). The
nature of migrant farming poses different stressors than those faced by nonmigrant families.
BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE: ALL OF THE ABOVE In recent years, the biological, psy-
chological, and sociocultural influences on abnormality are no longer seen as independent
causes. Instead, these influences interact with one another to cause the various forms of dis-
orders. For example, a person may have a genetically inherited tendency for a type of disor-
der, such as anxiety, but may not develop a full-blown disorder unless the family and social
environments produce the right stressors at the right time in development. We will see later
how this idea specifically applies to a theory of schizophrenia. How accepting a particular
culture is of a specific disorder will also play a part in determining the exact degree and
form that disorder might take. This is known as the biopsychosocial model of disorder,
which has become a very influential way to view the connection between mind and body.Diagnosing and Classifying Disorders
14.3 Describe how psychological disorders are diagnosed and classified.
Have you ever asked a young child, or remember from being one yourself, “what’s wrong?”
when they reported not feeling well? If so, you likely received a variety of answers describ-
ing their tummy ache, ouchie, or booboo. And in turn, you may have not known exactly
what was wrong due to differences in their descriptive language and yours, especially when
you could not see where or why they were hurting. The same applies to understanding
and treating psychological disorders. Having a common set of terms and systematic way of
describing psychological and behavioral symptoms is vital to not only correct identification
and diagnosis but also in communication among and between psychological professionals
and other health-care providers.
THE DSM-5 One international resource is the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) Inter-
national Classification of Diseases (ICD), currently in its tenth edition (ICD- 10 ). In the United
States, the prevalent resource to help psychological professionals diagnose psychologi-A migrant farming background has been
found to be related to increased symptoms
of anxiety and depression among college
students of Mexican heritage when
compared to those without a migrant
background.cultural syndromes
sets of particular symptoms of distress
found in particular cultures, which
may or may not be recognized as an
illness within the culture.biopsychosocial model
perspective in which abnormal think-
ing or behavior is seen as the result of
the combined and interacting forces
of Diological Rsychological social and
cultural influences.M14_CICC7961_05_SE_C14.indd 548 9/3/16 12:45 AM