Why Psychiatry Needs the Anthropologist: A Reflection on 80 Years of Culture in Mental Health

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Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health [K01MH104310, R21MH111280].

Notes on contributors

Bonnie N. Kaiser

Bonnie Kaiser, PhD, MPH is an Assistant Professor at UCSD, jointly appointed in the Department of Anthropology and Global Health Program. Her research focuses on elucidating cultural models of mental health and illness and exploring their connections to care-seeking; developing and adapting measurement tools for cross-cultural research and interventions; improving cultural adaptation of global mental health interventions; and critically exploring concepts of trauma, risk, and resilience. Her scholarship balances critical and constructive engagement with the field of global mental health. Her primary field sites are Haiti and Kenya; she has also worked in Nepal, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. Brandon Kohrt, MD, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and cultural psychiatrist. He holds the Charles and Sonia Akman Professorship in Global Psychiatry at George Washington University, where he is Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Global Health, and Anthropology, and Director of the Division of Global Mental Health. Dr. Kohrt has worked with children and families affected by war and political violence, disasters, and other forms of adversity around the world. Dr. Kohrt’s work also addresses reducing stigma in healthcare settings to improve the quality of mental health services.

Brandon A. Kohrt

Bonnie Kaiser, PhD, MPH is an Assistant Professor at UCSD, jointly appointed in the Department of Anthropology and Global Health Program. Her research focuses on elucidating cultural models of mental health and illness and exploring their connections to care-seeking; developing and adapting measurement tools for cross-cultural research and interventions; improving cultural adaptation of global mental health interventions; and critically exploring concepts of trauma, risk, and resilience. Her scholarship balances critical and constructive engagement with the field of global mental health. Her primary field sites are Haiti and Kenya; she has also worked in Nepal, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. Brandon Kohrt, MD, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and cultural psychiatrist. He holds the Charles and Sonia Akman Professorship in Global Psychiatry at George Washington University, where he is Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Global Health, and Anthropology, and Director of the Division of Global Mental Health. Dr. Kohrt has worked with children and families affected by war and political violence, disasters, and other forms of adversity around the world. Dr. Kohrt’s work also addresses reducing stigma in healthcare settings to improve the quality of mental health services.