Mental illness and the family in America and India

The relationship of family support systems to emotional problems is presented from a transcultural perspective in the light of differences in the types of patients seen at one American and two Indian clinics. The American cultural emphasis on individuation and role adequacy is reflected in a much higher incidence of adjustment reactions and personality disorders among American patients. The positive view of mutuality and interdependence among Indians helps decrease the need for psychiatric help for these problems so long as the individual is an integral part of the family. Separation from the supportive role of the family, however, brings about a sharp increase in the incidence of these problems.