Presentation Information
[SY-109-03]The Ontological Turn and Cultural Psychiatry: Opportunities, Challenges and Limitations
*Mario Hubertus Braakman (Tilburg University(Netherlands))
Keywords:
Cultural psychiatry,Theory,Ontological turn,Depressive disorder
Imagine a reality in which there is not just one real world out there, but many. We have for instance, different words for the moon in different languages, like la lune in French, de maan in Dutch, but the moon out there is just one and for all cultures the same physical object up in the sky. We typically assume that, while human beings may hold differing beliefs, perspectives, or interpretations of the world and its material or natural objects, the objects themselves remain the same, independent of these viewpoints. This foundational assumption, however, is being challenged by an emerging perspective: the idea that there is not just one single, objective world, but rather multiple worlds—each shaped by distinct ways of being, knowing, and relating. Over the past two decades, this new paradigm has emerged within cultural anthropology, commonly referred to as the ontological turn. This intellectual movement has since matured, prompting the question: Might cultural psychiatry benefit from engaging with this novel perspective?
This presentation explores the foundational concepts of the ontological turn and considers their potential implications for cultural psychiatry. Specifically, we will examine how this framework intersects with key themes in the field, including: the nature of psychopathology; the distinctions between disease, illness, and sickness; idioms of distress; explanatory models; culture-bound syndromes; cross-cultural psychiatric assessment and diagnosis; and the effects of globalization and migration on clinical practice.
To ground these abstract ideas, we will draw on illustrative examples, with a particular emphasis on depressive disorders, in order to test the applicability and relevance of the ontological turn within cultural psychiatric contexts.
This presentation explores the foundational concepts of the ontological turn and considers their potential implications for cultural psychiatry. Specifically, we will examine how this framework intersects with key themes in the field, including: the nature of psychopathology; the distinctions between disease, illness, and sickness; idioms of distress; explanatory models; culture-bound syndromes; cross-cultural psychiatric assessment and diagnosis; and the effects of globalization and migration on clinical practice.
To ground these abstract ideas, we will draw on illustrative examples, with a particular emphasis on depressive disorders, in order to test the applicability and relevance of the ontological turn within cultural psychiatric contexts.