Cultural psychiatry, sometimes also termed cross-cultural psychiatry, studies the cultural and ethnic context of mental disorder. Issues of interest include epidemiology and clinical presentations of mental disorders in different cultures, the study of migrant populations and ethnic diversity within countries, and the appropriateness of psychiatric classifications to different cultures and ethnic groups.

The early concerns of cultural psychiatry were initiated from Colonial interest. Today, the process of globalization may encourage or even force people to adapt to the change of cultural norm and social acceptance to their traditional pattern of thoughts and behavior. The flexibility and strategy of adaption may play a crucial role in the manifestation and prognosis of mental illness.

Culture-bound syndromes are recurrent, culture- or locality-specific pattern of abnormality in inner experience and behavior. DSM-IV-TR provides an outline for cultural formulation and description of 25 culture-bound syndromes. Frequently mentioned culture-bound syndromes include

1. ▶ Amafufanyane

2. ▶ Amok

3. ▶ Ataque de nervios

4. ▶ Bilis and colera

5. ▶ Boufée delirante

6. ▶ Brain fag

7. ▶ Dhat

8. ▶ Falling-out or blacking out

9. ▶ Ghost sickness

10. ▶ Koro

11. ▶ Latah

12. ▶ Mal de ojo

13. ▶ Pibloktoq

14. ▶ Shenjing shuairuo

15. ▶ Shen-k'uei or shenkui

16. ▶ Susto

17. ▶ Taijin kyofusho

18. ▶ Zar

Social psychiatry refers to mental health in the context of communities and societies. Studies in social psychiatry concern the contribution of social factors to the development of illness, the social consequences of mental disorders, and the use of social resource for treatment and preventive measures.