Psychiatric function and roles in an Indian health program context.
This paper relates the experience of a non-Indian psychiatrist who successfully functioned in an urban Indian health care setting. It illustrates the process of becoming a part of a mental health team and the complexities of becoming a culturally-sensitive psychotherapist. This is accomplished by relating personal experiences, observations, case examples and self-questioning of therapeutic roles and functions. The author concludes that a psychiatrist should not rigidly define his or her role upon entering a particular setting but instead should allow a multitude of roles to unfold. Psychiatrists are also urged to remain constant students of the culture of the patients and organization, applying that knowledge as dictate by the treatment situation.
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000523:psychology*; D007396:Internship and Residency; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010819:Physician's Role; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000193:education; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000193:education; D014481:United States; D014504:Urban Health