Cultural formulation of diagnosis: state of the art

Summary

In 1994, the Outline for Cultural Formulation (OCF) was included as a supplement to the DSM-IV. The OCF was developed as a tool to help care providers gain more insight in cultural factors which might be relevant while diagnosing mental problems of patients with cultural backgrounds that differ from the care provider´s. More than twenty years after publication, the query is justified whether the OCF actually serves the purpose it was intended for, and whether any adjustments are needed. By means of a literature search an answer is sought to these questions. The main conclusion is that reactions of professionals to the cultural formulation were positive and that it has managed to find its way into education, and, to a lesser extent, into clinical practice. However, evaluative and effect studies have been mostly lacking in the first period. Recent research has shown more favourable effects.

Zusammenfassung

Im Jahr 1994 wurde die Gliederung für die Kulturformulierung (OCF) als Ergänzung zur DSM-IV aufgenommen. Die OCF wurde als Instrument entwickelt, um den Betreuern zu helfen, mehr Einblick in kulturelle Faktoren zu gewinnen, die bei der Diagnose von psychischen Problemen bei Patienten mit kulturellen Hintergründen, die sich von den Pflegeanbietern unterscheiden, relevant sein könnten. Mehr als zwanzig Jahre nach der Veröffentlichung ist die Abfrage berechtigt, ob die OCF tatsächlich dem Zweck dient, für den sie bestimmt war und ob Anpassungen erforderlich sind. Mit Hilfe einer Literatursuche wird auf diese Fragen eine Antwort gesucht. Die wichtigste Schlussfolgerung ist, dass Reaktionen von Fachleuten auf die kulturelle Formulierung positiv waren und dass es gelungen ist, ihren Weg in die Bildung und in geringerem Maße in die klinische Praxis zu finden. Allerdings fehlten in der ersten Periode meist Auswertungsund Wirkungsstudien. Aktuelle Forschungen haben günstige Effekte gezeigt.

Keywords

Mental health care - diagnosis - cultural formulation - cultural interview

Schlüsselwörter

Mentale Gesundheit - Diagnose - Kulturformulierung - kulturelles Interview

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