Crazy Like Us, written by Ethan Watters uses a series of cases studies to prove that the forceful spread of western medicine (Unites States) philosophies and medical treatments that pertain to mental health, have spread across the world, resulting in the denaturation and destruction of unique cultural practices/beliefs and overall, degrading the worlds mental health status. In a since, he is proving that we (the US) are our own worst enemies when it comes to handling and treating mental illness.
Watters first argument focuses on how western medicine and its homogenous ideas about anorexia spread to Hong Kong, which resulted in the emergence of a new fashionable form of anorexia that was symptomatically altered in comparison to the cultural …show more content…
As he makes his claims, there are many apparent strengths and weaknesses to his argument. One of the major weaknesses to his argument is that he provides very minute, if any, positive claims about the effects of western medicine on the status of global health. When he explained how the US responded by "…rush(ing) to help treat the psychic wounds of traumatized people…" (Watters, 2011, pg. 71) after the tsunami struck in Sri Lank, he should have address how this might have also lead to a positive outcome. By only addressing the negative aspects of western (US) efforts, it shows a possible lack of knowledge; even if he does not agree, he should have injected some positivity throughout to show the complexity of his …show more content…
Throughout the book, Watters stresses that culture is a major determinate of health and that in order for any health concept to be transferred successfully, it must coincide with that culture. From the article, A Strategy to Reduce Cross-cultural Miscommunication and Increase the Likelihood of Improving Health Outcomes, it states that; "Every culture defines what health is for its members, determines the etiology of diseases, establishes the parameters within which distress is defined and signaled, and prescribes the appropriate means to treat the disorder, both medically and socially" (Singer & Lakha, 2003). This is exactly the point that Watters is trying to make when he is explaining how each culture handles diseases such as schizophrenia differently. In the text, Watters extends on this idea by saying, "individuals in a given place and time will react to illness similarly" (Watters, 2011, pg. 160), due to their cultural and social construct. He depicts this idea when explaining that schizophrenia in Zanzibar is thought of as a spirit like possession or as a transitory state, which allows family members to see the disorder in a more favorable light (Watters,
Watters first argument focuses on how western medicine and its homogenous ideas about anorexia spread to Hong Kong, which resulted in the emergence of a new fashionable form of anorexia that was symptomatically altered in comparison to the cultural …show more content…
As he makes his claims, there are many apparent strengths and weaknesses to his argument. One of the major weaknesses to his argument is that he provides very minute, if any, positive claims about the effects of western medicine on the status of global health. When he explained how the US responded by "…rush(ing) to help treat the psychic wounds of traumatized people…" (Watters, 2011, pg. 71) after the tsunami struck in Sri Lank, he should have address how this might have also lead to a positive outcome. By only addressing the negative aspects of western (US) efforts, it shows a possible lack of knowledge; even if he does not agree, he should have injected some positivity throughout to show the complexity of his …show more content…
Throughout the book, Watters stresses that culture is a major determinate of health and that in order for any health concept to be transferred successfully, it must coincide with that culture. From the article, A Strategy to Reduce Cross-cultural Miscommunication and Increase the Likelihood of Improving Health Outcomes, it states that; "Every culture defines what health is for its members, determines the etiology of diseases, establishes the parameters within which distress is defined and signaled, and prescribes the appropriate means to treat the disorder, both medically and socially" (Singer & Lakha, 2003). This is exactly the point that Watters is trying to make when he is explaining how each culture handles diseases such as schizophrenia differently. In the text, Watters extends on this idea by saying, "individuals in a given place and time will react to illness similarly" (Watters, 2011, pg. 160), due to their cultural and social construct. He depicts this idea when explaining that schizophrenia in Zanzibar is thought of as a spirit like possession or as a transitory state, which allows family members to see the disorder in a more favorable light (Watters,