Synopsis
In mid-1966 an ethnopsychiatric expedition from the School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, visited the Gulf of Carpentaria. The general aim of the expedition was to conduct a survey of mental morbidity amongst the Aboriginal people and to correlate this where possible with observed epidemiological factors. This paper gives an account of one aspect of the work done. After an introduction to the geography and social ecology of Mornington Island, the authors discuss some theoretical problems in the application of knowledge derived from Western-type child psychiatry to a cross-cultural Aboriginal setting. These problems are accentuated when the society in question is undergoing a major transition. A cross-cultural classification of psychiatric disorders in childhood is proposed. A summary account of traditional and current child-rearing practices is then essayed. It is followed by a description of the major focus of this study: the ascertainment and investigation of behaviour disorders amongst the children in the various social subgroups. Some interesting correlations are described and an attempt made to account for them in social and epidemiological terms.