Other approaches

The dominant approach to mental disorder in the UK is based on a medical model of disease.

But, some psychiatrists and mental health workers with a more family-oriented approach to treatment, while accepting the medical model for diagnosis in the first instance will also rely more on the family to provide information about the history of the problems. Mental health professionals who operate in this way also tend to offer more support to the families themselves.

There is also some disagreement in the western world of psychiatry over the extent to which environmental influences should be taken into account in assessing what is 'wrong' with someone presenting with psychiatric symptoms. The risk of minority ethnic groups being misdiagnosed and labelled is a common criticism.

Circle of hands against a blue sky background

Psychiatrists and healers from outside the West often have a different concept of the relationship of mind and body and of the place of the individual in his/her society. Their diagnostic procedures are less likely to follow western ideas of a medical /scientific approach and are often less characterised by the mind/body split seen in Western psychiatry.