Psychopathology and African Culture

The patients treated by Dr AHYI, who are predominantly African, belong to the Black African cultural tradition, which has shaped their beliefs, symptoms and approaches to their care. As a psychiatrist trained in Africa but at a faculty with a predominantly French-based curriculum, he found himself confronted with expressions and interpretations so different that the conditions no longer seemed to be the same illnesses. However, influenced by his training at FANN, the foundation of 'African psychiatry', upon returning to Benin and after some thirty years of practice, Dr Gualbert René AHYI decided to share his observations and the characteristics of certain conditions, and to attempt to explain the cultural aspects and values underlying their varied manifestations. He has chosen to describe the illness of the elderly, depression among Black Africans, a reinterpretation of spirit attacks, and the psychosocial factors in pregnancy and the postpartum period. His motto is 'understand better to treat better'. This book, which aims to provide the cultural keys to better diagnosis and appropriate treatment, will be of great use to practitioners and students.