Culture And Psychopathology: A Guide To Clinical Assessment

CHAPTER FOUR

Somatization

Steven L. Chaplin, M.D.

CASE VIGNETTES

Case 1

Mrs. Chang, a 56-year-old married woman from Mainland China, was brought to see a psychiatrist by her daughter. Mrs. Chang was visiting the daughter, who had studied in an American university, completed a graduate degree, and now lived in the United States. In the past, Mrs. Chang had traveled to the United States and other Western countries for business reasons. This trip was strictly a social visit. The daughter had noted some strange behavior in her mother during the visit. She had given some precious items to her daughter with a solemnity that seemed uncharacteristic. ...