The attribution of mental illness by rural Balinese

This paper is based on the answers of 208 Balinese rural respondents to the question "What makes you think person X is mentally ill?" The responses are tabulated by age and sex and a cluster analysis is carried out on them. It is shown that the rural Balinese view interference with others and threatening behaviour as prime indicators of mental illness, but that different indicators are commonly used for women, men, the old and the young. The results are discussed with reference to a sociological model and a medical model of diagnosis.