Conference Examines Cultural Aspects of Mental Health

Dr. Ramaswamy Viswanathan (right), recently spoke at a conference on the mental health of Indian Americans in New York. (psychiatryonline.com photo)

Dr. Ramaswamy Viswanathan (right), recently spoke at a conference on the mental health of Indian Americans in New York. (psychiatryonline.com photo)

 News Dispatches, Indiawest

Insight into a patient’s cultural background is not the only key to diagnosis and treatment, but it often can play an important role in both, said Dr. Ramaswamy Viswanathan, director of the psychiatric consultation-liaison service at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn.

“There are more similarities than differences across cultures in the nature of psychopathology and core treatment principles, but cultural issues can influence the mode of symptom presentation, treatment seeking, stigma, clinician-patient relationships, and optimal treatment techniques,” said the Indian American director in an interview with Psychiatric News….

Click here to read more at www.indiawest.com