Comment: the neglect of culture in psychiatric nosology: the case of culture bound syndromes.

Descriptive psychopathology and clinical phenomenology inform contemporary psychiatric diagnosis and nosology. The process of psychiatric diagnosis and classification is intricate and subject to continuous revision. This paper attempts to illustrate the effect of culture on psychopathology, with special emphasis on the diagnosis and classification of culture bound syndromes. There is a need for more clarity and specificity about the diagnosis and classification of culture bound syndromes. The paper suggests some questions that need to be addressed for the better integration of these syndromes into the main body of international classificatory systems. It is presumed that answers to these questions will provide a better nosological framework for culture bound syndromes.