Culture and health - Malcolm MacLachlan

This book explores the fascinating interplay between culture and health. Physical and mental symptoms often point beyond the individuals who experience them, to the communities and cultures to which they belong, and this book is concerned with helping students and clinicians think through the practical implications of working with people from different cultures. Culture and Health covers the assessment and treatment of illness as well as the promotion of health, introducing new techniques such as the Problem Portrait Technique for assessment, and Critical Incidents Analysis as a form of treatment. Drawing on psychological, sociological, anthropological and medical research, the book contains many case studies and each chapter ends with guidelines for good practice. Culture and Health is for those concerned with the well–being of people from cultures different to their own. Appealing to a broad audience, it is essential reading for students of health psychology, practising health professionals and students of medicine, nursing, social work, occupational therapy and physiotherapy, and a valuable resource for health service managers and planners.