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Traditionalism and mental health in the South Pacific: a re-examination of an old hypothesis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

H. B. M. Murphy  and
B. M. Taumoepeau
H. B. M. Murphy*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; and Vaiola Hospital, Tonga
B. M. Taumoepeau
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; and Vaiola Hospital, Tonga
*
1Address for correspondence: Professor H. B. M. Murphy, Department of Psychiatry, Section of Transcultural Psychiatric Studies, McGill University, 1266 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, PQ, Canada H3G 1A8.
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Synopsis

Nineteenth-century theory held that mental disorder was rare in stable, traditional rural societies. Today most societies are rapidly changing, but Tonga still fits that model and the evidence suggests that the psychoses are genuinely infrequent there. It is proposed that both the theory and the evidence deserve further examination.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 10 , Issue 3 , August 1980 , pp. 471 - 482
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1980

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