Use of the American Psychiatric Association DSM-IV Cultural Formulation to Teach Cultural Psychiatry to Undergraduate and Graduate Students

This paper examines the effectiveness of using the Outline for a Cultural Formulation (OCF) from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-IV as a pedagogical framework in a course on global mental health, taught to advanced undergraduate and graduate students from diverse academic backgrounds. The OCF is typically employed in clinical psychiatry to guide culturally informed assessments; however, in the classroom setting, it becomes an educational tool for exploring the relationship between mental distress and broader sociocultural and structural contexts. Through classroom examples, student reflections, and survey-based learning outcomes, this article demonstrates how the OCF facilitates not only intellectual engagement, but also personal reflections. Students learn to analyze how culture and context shape experiences of suffering and to question assumptions about mental health. Those who later pursue careers in the health sciences report that the OCF has helped them develop greater cultural humility and a more nuanced understanding of the cultural construction of mental health. This article also discusses pedagogical challenges, especially when teaching components of the OCF that are more abstract or unfamiliar. Drawing on teaching experiences, this article outlines strategies and resources for helping students engage with complex aspects of the cultural formulation.