Culture, ethnicity and biological psychiatry

Chia-Hui Chen; Shi-Kai Liu; Keh-Ming Lin

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511543609.008

6 - Culture, ethnicity and biological psychiatry

from Part I - Theoretical background

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 August 2009

Chia-Hui Chen ,

Shi-Kai Liu and

Keh-Ming Lin

Edited by

Dinesh Bhugra and

Kamaldeep Bhui

Show author details

Chia-Hui Chen: Affiliation:
Division of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Research National Health Research Institutes 5th Floor Second Campus Tapiei City Psychiatric Center 309 Song-De Road Taipei 110 Taiwan
Shi-Kai Liu: Affiliation:
Division of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Research National Health Research Institutes, 5th Floor Second Campus, Tapiei City Psychiatric Center 309 Song-De Road Taipei 110 Taiwan
Keh-Ming Lin: Affiliation:
Division of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Research National Health Research Institutes 5th Floor, Second Campus Tapiei City Psychiatric Center 309 Song-De Road Taipei 110 Taiwan
Dinesh Bhugra: Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
Kamaldeep Bhui: Affiliation:
Barts & The London, Queen Mary School of Medicine and Dentistry

Book contents

Get access

Summary

EDITORS' INTRODUCTION

The differences between universalist and relativist positions related to pharmacological interventions are of great interest to researchers and clinicians alike. The variations in social forces and cultural traditions and attributed similarities are proofs of the universality of the biological processes underlying psychiatric problems. Regional and ethnic variations almost always exist and associated biological and social factors must be considered in managing patients. Chen and colleagues, in this chapter, highlight the interface between biological psychiatry and neurosciences on the one hand and culture and ethnicity on the other. They raise three issues on the subject – those of generalisability, variations in groups and individuals and finally the theoretical implications embedded in cross cultural research is commonly observed and well documented. Beside genetic predispositions, it also stands to reason that influences of culture on biological processes could also lead to disease susceptibility. Biological markers responsible for disease and response to medication have not been studied in all cultural and ethnic groups. Biology is not culture free, and the complex interaction between culture and biology includes genetic vulnerability and resilience related to environmental factors. People with different ethnic and ancestral backgrounds have different genetic profiles, which may indicate differential risks for specific disorders.

Physical and social milieus within which people live are shaped by cultural factors, thus the interaction of biology and culture shapes responses and outcomes in various psychiatric disorders.

Type: Chapter
Information: Textbook of Cultural Psychiatry , pp. 72 - 80

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511543609.008[Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Purchase

Buy Book

Buy print or eBook

References

Arango, V., Huang, Y. Y., Underwood, M. D. and Mann, J. J. (2003). Genetics of the serotonergic system in suicidal behavior. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 37(5), 375–386.Google Scholar

Bassett, A. S. and Chow, E. W. (1999). 22q11 deletion syndrome: a genetic subtype of schizophrenia. Biological Psychiatry, 46(7), 882–891.Google Scholar

Behrens, U. J., Worner, T. M., Braly, L. F., Schaffner, F. and Lieber, C. S.et al. (1988). Carbohydratedeficient transferrin, a marker for chronic alcohol consumption in different ethnic populations. Alcohol Clinical Experimental Research, 12(3), 427–432.Google Scholar

Bhugra, D., Leff, J., Mallett, R.et al. (1997). Incidence and outcome of schizophrenia in whites, African-Caribbeans and Asians in London. Psychological Medicine, 27(4), 791–798.Google Scholar

Blaustein, M. P. and Grim, C. E. (1991). The pathogenesis of hypertension: black–white differences. Cardiovascular Clinics, 21(3), 97–114.Google Scholar

Bridge, T. P., Jeste, D. V., Wise, C. D.et al. (1984). Schizophrenic outcome in late life: symptom state and platelet monoamine oxidase activity. Psychiatry Research, 11(2), 91–97.Google Scholar

Carroll, B. J., Feinberg, M., Greden, J. F.et al. (1981). A specific laboratory test for the diagnosis of melancholia. Standardization, validation, and clinical utility. Archives of General Psychiatry, 38(1), 15–22.Google Scholar

Chang, W. H., Chen, T. Y., Lin, S. K.et al. (1990). Plasma catecholamine metabolites in schizophrenics: evidence for the two-subtype concept. Biological Psychiatry, 27(5), 510–518.Google Scholar

Charrow, J. (2004). Ashkenazi Jewish genetic disorders. Familial Cancer, 3(3–4), 201–206.Google Scholar

Coppen, A., Metcalfe, M. and Harwood, J. (1984). WHO collaborative study on the use of the dexamethasone suppression test as a biological indicator of depressive illness. Clinical Neuropharmacology, 7, 226–227.Google Scholar

Crow, T. J. (1980). Molecular pathology of schizophrenia: more than one disease process?' British Medical Journal, 280(6207), 66–68.Google Scholar

DeLisi, L. E., Neckers, L. M., Staub, R. A., Zalcman, S. J. and Wyatt, R. J. (1980). Lymphocyte monoamine oxidase activity and chronic schizophrenia. Psychiatry Research, 2(2), 179–186.Google Scholar

Egan, M. F., Goldberg, T. E., Kolachana, B. S.et al. (2001). Effect of COMT Val108/158 Met genotype on frontal lobe function and risk for schizophrenia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 98(12), 6917–6922.Google Scholar

Escobar, J. I., Mendoza, R., Stimmel, G.et al. (1984). The DST in a large outpatient clinic: its diagnostic and predictive significance. Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 20(1), 89–92.Google Scholar

Garver, D. L. (1997). The etiologic heterogeneity of schizophrenia. Harvard Reviews of Psychiatry, 4(6), 317–327.Google Scholar

Giles, D. E., Perlis, M. L., Reynolds, C. F. 3rd and Kupfer, D. J. (1998). EEG sleep in African-American patients with major depression: a historical case control study. Depression and Anxiety, 8(2), 58–64.Google Scholar

Harrison, G., Owens, D., Holton, A., Neilson, D. and Boot, D. (1988). A prospective study of severe mental disorder in Afro-Caribbean patients. Psychological Medicine, 18(3), 643–657.Google Scholar

Hoffman, R. E. and Dobscha, S. K. (1989). Cortical pruning and the development of schizophrenia: a computer model. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 15(3), 477–490.Google Scholar

Hutchison, K. E., Stallings, M., Mc Geary, J. and Bryan, A. (2004). Population stratification in the candidate gene study: fatal threat or red herring?' Psychology Bulletin, 130(1), 66–79.Google Scholar

Huttenlocher, P. R. (1979). Synaptic density in human frontal cortex – developmental changes and effects of aging. Brain Research, 163(2), 195–205.Google Scholar

Hwu, H. G., Chen, T. Y., and Yang, Y. Y., (1985). The clinical diagnostic value of dexamethasone suppression test in depressive illness. Annales of Academic Medicine Singapore, 14(1), 104–109.Google Scholar

Hwu, H. G., Lin, H. N. and Lu, R. B. (1987). Dexamethasone suppression test in psychiatric diagnosis and psychopathology for Chinese patients. Proceedings of the National Science Council of the Republic of China B, 11(2), 164–174.Google Scholar

Jackman, H., Luchins, D., and Meltzer, H. J. (1983). Platelet serotonin levels in schizophrenia: relationship to race and psychopathology. Biological Psychiatry, 18(8), 887–902.Google Scholar

Jilek, W. G. (1995). Emil Kraepelin and comparative sociocultural psychiatry. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 245(4–5), 231–238.Google Scholar

King, M., Coker, E., Leavey, G., Hoare, A. and Johnson-Sabine, E. (1994). Incidence of psychotic illness in London: comparison of ethnic groups. British Medical Journal, 309(6962), 1115–1119.Google Scholar

King, M., Nazroo, J., Weich, S.et al. (2005). Psychotic symptoms in the general population of England – a comparison of ethnic groups (The EMPIRIC study). Society of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 40(5), 375–381.Google Scholar

Kleinman, A. M. (1988). Rethinking Psychiatry. New York: Free Press.

Kupfer, D. J. (1995). Sleep research in depressive illness: clinical implications – a tasting menu. Biological Psychiatry 38(6): 391–403.Google Scholar

Lawson, W. B. (1986). Racial and ethnic factors in psychiatric research. Hospital Community Psychiatry, 37(1), 50–54.Google Scholar

Lesch, K. P., Bengel, D., Heils, A.et al. (1996). Association of anxiety-related traits with a polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene regulatory region. Science, 274(5292), 1527–1531.Google Scholar

Levav, I., Kohn, R., Golding, J. M. and Weissman, M. M. (1997). Vulnerability of Jews to affective disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 154(7), 941–947.Google Scholar

Lin, K. M., Poland, R. E. and Silver, B. (1993). Overview: The Interface between Psychobiology and Ethnicity. Washington, DC: American Psychiatiric Press.

Lu, R. B., Ho, S. L., Huang, H. C. and Lin, Y. T. (1988). The specificity of the dexamethasone suppression test in endogenous depressive patients. Neuropsychopharmacology, 1(2), 157–162.Google Scholar

Luchins, D., Torrey, E. F., Weinberger, D. R.et al. (1980). HLA antigens in schizophrenia:differences between patients with and without evidence of brain atrophy. British Journal of Psychiatry, 136, 243–248.Google Scholar

Marcolin, M. A. (1991). The prognosis of schizophrenia across cultures. Ethnic Disease, 1(1), 99–104.Google Scholar

Marusic, A. (2005). History and geography of suicide: could genetic risk factors account for the variation in suicide rates?' American Journal of Medical Genetics C Seminars in Medical Genetics, 133(1), 43–47.Google Scholar

Mendlewicz, J. and Kerkhofs, M. (1991). Sleep electroencephalography in depressive illness. A collaborative study by the World Health Organization. British Journal of Psychiatry 159: 505–509.Google Scholar

Murphy, H. B. (1982). Comparative Psychiatry: The International and Intercultural Distribution of Mental Illness. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.

O'Leary, D. D., Stanfield, B. B., and Cowan, W. M. (1981). Evidence that the early postnatal restriction of the cells of origin of the callosal projection is due to the elimination of axonal collaterals rather than to the death of neurons. Brain Research, 227(4), 607–617.Google Scholar

Patkar, A. A., Berrettini, W. H., Hoehe, M.et al. (2002). Serotonin transporter polymorphisms and measures of impulsivity, aggression, and sensation seeking among African-American cocaine-dependent individuals. Psychiatry Research, 110(2), 103–115.Google Scholar

Poland, R. E., Rao, U., Lutchmansingh, P.et al. (1999). REM sleep in depression is influenced by ethnicity. Psychiatry Research, 88(2), 95–105.Google Scholar

Polednak, A. (1989). Racial and Ethnic Differences in Disease. New York: Oxford University Press.

Rao, U., Poland, R. E., Lutchmaningh, P.et al. (1999). Relationship between ethnicity and sleep patterns in normal controls: implications for psychopathology and treatment. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 33(5), 419–426.Google Scholar

Richelson, E. (1991). Biological basis of depression and therapeutic relevance. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 52 (Suppl), 4–10.Google Scholar

Rivera-Calimlim, L. and Reilly, D. K. (1984). Difference in erythrocyte catechol-O-methyltransferase activity between Orientals and Caucasians: difference in levodopa tolerance. Clinical Pharmacological Therapy, 35(6), 804–809.Google Scholar

Rubin, R. T., Poland, R. E., Lesser, I. M., Winston, R. A. and Blodgett, A. L. (1987). Neuroendocrine aspects of primary endogenous depression. I. Cortisol secretory dynamics in patients and matched controls. Archives of General Psychiatry, 44(4), 328–336.Google Scholar

Rush, A. J., Giles, D. E., Roffwarg, H. P. and Parker, C. R. (1982). Sleep EEG and dexamethasone suppression test findings in outpatients with unipolar major depressive disorders. Biological Psychiatry, 17(3), 327–341.Google Scholar

Sasayama, S. (2004). Optimising outcomes in end-stage heart failure: differences in therapeutic responses between diverse ethnic groups. Drug Safari, 27 (Suppl) 1, 19–24.Google Scholar

Sharpley, M., Hutchinson, G., McKenzie, K. and Murray, R. M. (2001). Understanding the excess of psychosis among the African-Caribbean population in England. Review of current hypotheses. British Journal of Psychiatry, 40 (Suppl), s60–s8.Google Scholar

Smits, K. M., Smits, L. J., Schouten, J. S., et al. (2004). Influence of SERTPR and STin2 in the serotonin transporter gene on the effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in depression: a systematic review. Molecular Psychiatry, 9(5), 433–441.Google Scholar

Staner, L., Linkowski, P., and Mendlewicz, J. (1994). Biological markers as classifiers for depression: a multivariate study. Progress in Neuropsychopharmacological Biology and Psychiatry, 18(5), 899–914.Google Scholar

Thase, M. E., Simons, A. D., and Reynolds, C. F. 3rd. (1996). Abnormal electroencephalographic sleep profiles in major depression: association with response to cognitive behavior therapy. Archives of General Psychiatry, 53(2), 99–108.Google Scholar

Tsuang, M. T., Lyons, M. J., and Faraone, S. V. (1990). Heterogeneity of schizophrenia. Conceptual models and analytic strategies. British Journal of Psychiatry, 156, 17–26.Google Scholar

UN (2005). Demographic Yearbook 2002, United Nations.

Walker, E. F. and Diforio, D. (1997). Schizophrenia: a neural diathesis-stress model. Psychology Review 104(4), 667–685.Google Scholar

White, H. L., McLeod, M. N., and Davidson, J. R. (1976). Catechol O-methyltransferase in red blood cells of schizophrenic, depressed, and normal human subjects. British Journal of Psychiatry, 128, 184–187.Google Scholar

Zhang, A. Y. and Snowden, L. R. (1999). Ethnic characteristics of mental disorders in five U.S. communities. Cultural Diversity Ethnic Minority Psychology, 5(2), 134–146.Google Scholar