Personality Disorder in Transcultural Perspective

Personality disorder constitutes one of the most controversial diagnostic categories within clinical psychiatry. Explosive and antisocial personality disorders in particular are central to this controversy. The difficulties for diagnosis encountered when clinician and patient belong to different socio-economic classes are seen to be magnified in the transcultural situation, when cultural and language variables are superimposed. The diagnosis of personality disorder among Australian Aborigines is reviewed, and the face validity of some prevalence rates is challenged. An examination of the terms for anger and aggression used by a Central Australian tribal Aboriginal group demonstrates that Aborigines differentiate them both quantitatively and qualitatively. This facility is seen as providing psychiatrists with a method for enhancing diagnosis of personality disorder in both clinical and epidemiological settings.