ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the challenge of how to assess psychosis within a cultural context is discussed. Major findings from cross-cultural studies of psychosis indicate that there is considerable variability in the expression of psychotic symptoms in patients from diverse cultural backgrounds. Assessing psychosis is a challenging task on its own, but when the evaluation involves someone from a different cultural, religious, and spiritual background, the assessment task becomes even more complex. Many individuals with diverse religious or cultural backgrounds have non-pathological psychotic-like experiences which are normative. The DSM-5 has recognized the importance of distinguishing cultural experiences and beliefs from true psychotic symptoms by expanding the discussion of cultural issues for selected psychotic disorders and developing the Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI). The CFI was designed to assess the cultural definition of the problem, the cultural perception of cause and context, and the cultural factors impacting treatment. It is a major development that standardizes and systematically assesses cultural factors in clinical context.
