A look at cultural psychiatry in the 21st century

Cultural psychiatry, as a subspecialty of psychiatry and thus medicine, has grown steadily and extensively in the 20th century, especially during the second part of this century. In this article, we look at the origins of cultural psychiatry; at its history through the centuries; at its role in the clinical, educational, and research domains; at its significance in today's conceptualization of the fields of psychiatry and mental health; and at its future perspectives within the realms of both medicine and psychiatry.