A Phenomenological Study of Depression in Iran

This book is an investigation into cultural variations in experiences of depression. Examining first-person accounts of depressed persons in Iran alongside similar previously studied data from the UK, the book highlights the cultural shaping at the heart of variations in experiences, manifestations, and articulations of depression. The analyses presented appeal to some of the longstanding pillars of Iranian culture, such as folk theories and literature, as well as the dominant social influences, like the Iran-Iraq war and the Islamic revolution. A central claim made, therefore, is that contrary to the universalising approaches in psychiatry, a better understanding of the workings of mental illness is achieved by situating individuals and their experience in a meaning-making sociocultural context.

Situates depression experiences within a cultural context to explain cultural variation in depression Argues that cultural shaping of depression challenges the universality of psychiatric tools and diagnostic criteria A phenomenological outlook and method aid an interdisciplinary approach to understanding mental disorders

Auteur

Moujan Mirdamadi is a scholar of philosophy and phenomenology. Her research interests include phenomenological psychopathology, philosophy of psychiatry, narratives, culture, and affectivity

Contenu

1. Introduction.- 2. The Iranian Context.- 3. Metaphors Of Depression.- 4. Death-Consciousness and Absurdity.- 5. Interpersonal Relationships I Impersonal Interpersonal.- 6. Interpersonal Relationships II: Personal Interpersonal.- 7. The Body in Depression.- 8. Culture, Experiences and Narratives, and the Problem of Interpretation.- 9. Concluding Remarks.

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