Despite diverse, rich cultural traditions and abundant economic opportunity, there has been a paucity of research on psychology in Southeast Asia. This book aims to fill that gap, with a series of well-written theoretical and empirical chapters by PhD psychologists in SE Asia along with respected international colleagues and co-authors from around the globe. In particular this book focuses upon critical sociocultural, clinical, and health issues and perspectives in psychology in Southeast Asia. Overviews help contextualize the cultural data, permitting nuanced examination of significant psychological issues in nations such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and more. Psychologists and mental health professionals with interests in Asia will find this book to be a must-read, as will other readers seeking to deepen their cultural and international understanding.

Collects together data compiled from 177 World Health Organization Member States/Countries on mental health care. Coverage includes policies, plans and laws for mental health, human and financial resources available, what types of facilities providing care, and mental health programmes for prevention and promotion.

Schizophrenia has long puzzled researchers in the fields of psychiatric medicine and anthropology. Why is it that the rates of developing schizophrenia—long the poster child for the biomedical model of psychiatric illness—are low in some countries and higher in others? And why do migrants to Western countries find that they are at higher risk for this disease after they arrive? T. M. Luhrmann and Jocelyn Marrow argue that the root causes of schizophrenia are not only biological, but also sociocultural. This book gives an intimate, personal account of those living with serious psychotic disorder in the United States, India, Africa, and Southeast Asia. It introduces the notion that social defeat—the physical or symbolic defeat of one person by another—is a core mechanism in the increased risk for psychotic illness. Furthermore, “care-as-usual” treatment as it occurs in the United States actually increases the likelihood of social defeat, while “care-as-usual” treatment in a country like India diminishes it.

Vols. for 1963- include as pt. 2 of the Jan. issue: Medical subject headings.

Mental, neurological, and substance use disorders are common, highly disabling, and associated with significant premature mortality. The impact of these disorders on the social and economic well-being of individuals, families, and societies is large, growing, and underestimated. Despite this burden, these disorders have been systematically neglected, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, with pitifully small contributions to scaling up cost-effective prevention and treatment strategies. Systematically compiling the substantial existing knowledge to address this inequity is the central goal of this volume. This evidence-base can help policy makers in resource-constrained settings as they prioritize programs and interventions to address these disorders.