Americanization of other societies especially those residing in the east has been a common phenomenon which has been studied especially in relation to the adoption of western diagnosis of mental diseases. Psychiatrists in the United States ended up convincing the rest of the world that the research they had undertaken on the latter diseases was viable leading them to adopt their approach (Whiteford, Ferrari, Degenhardt, Feigin & Vos, 2015).
The DSM has been developed primarily by Western psychiatrists, based on research involving Western patients. What are the possible negative outcomes of the continued spread of the DSM definitions of mental illness across the globe to other cultures?
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The adoption of the DSM has had a significant impact on other cultures across the world. Possible negative outcome emerges where the new knowledge obscured the understanding of people in other cultures in regards to mental illnesses such as anorexia as was the case in China. Also, people sought to conform the version of the illness in the west to fit into their understanding of what they were experiencing to an extent some of the anorexics now starved themselves as a result of the fat disorder. In addition, other societies have been forced to adopt assumptions pertaining to the best remedies for such ailments (Watters, 2010). Further still, mentally ill individuals in other societies are now stigmatized owing to the adoption of this concept from the western world. A good example on the same would be schizophrenia. It is perplexing to note that in most of the developing nations, the sufferers of this mental ailment used to lead better lives than those in the industrialized countries. Due to the embracement of the DSM, the situation appears to be changing, and now the individuals are not well accommodated in their own societies.
What risks are involved with applying Western diagnoses to children and adolescents from non-Western cultures? Identify at least two risks, and explain the potential negative effects in detail.
One of the risks that is involved is the idea that applying the belief of the western culture on mental ailments is tantamount to resulting to the creation of more mental ailments. For instance, such understanding led children as young as 10 years to starve themselves (Watters, 2010). An indication that mental ailments which were initially unavailable are now being observed. Such behaviors have detrimental consequences such as death of the children. Secondly, it has the effect of increasing eating disorders. In the 1990 up to 10 percent adolescent ladies developed eating disorders which were connected to mental ailments (Watters, 2010). Initially, such cases were unheard of but western diagnosis gave rise to such complications and now the young children have become prone to such ailments.
References
Watters, E. (2010, January 8). The Americanization of mental illness. The New York Times, p. MM40. (ProQuest Document ID: 215465227) http://thecampuscommon.com/library/ezproxy/ticketdemocs.asp?sch=auo&turl=http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/215465227
Whiteford, H. A., Ferrari, A. J., Degenhardt, L., Feigin, V., & Vos, T. (2015). The global burden of mental, neurological and substance use disorders: an analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. PloS one , 10 (2), e0116820.
