ABSTRACT
In recognition of the multicultural societies in which Western health professionals live and work there has been an increasing interest and necessity for all health professionals to learn about the different cultures from which their patients come and/or the culture in which they are working if different from their own. This is important for any patient-professional encounter but there are additional diffi culties when dealing with mental health problems. Most clinicians, unless working within a narrow speciality or fi eld, should be able to recognise mental distress and either help the patient themselves or know to whom to refer. However, when cultural infl uences are factored into the consultation, such recognition becomes more diffi cult and may be delayed, particularly if the professional concentrates on making sense of physical symptoms by looking for a physical cause. As we have discussed in earlier chapters, the Western tradition of separating mind and body is a potent factor leading to frustration of both the professional and patient, notwithstanding the almost universal agreement as to the presentation of psychosomatic symptomatology.
