Psychiatric function and roles in an Indian health program context.

This paper relates the experience of a non-Indian psychiatrist who successfully functioned in an urban Indian health care setting. It illustrates the process of becoming a part of a mental health team and the complexities of becoming a culturally-sensitive psychotherapist. This is accomplished by relating personal experiences, observations, case examples and self-questioning of therapeutic roles and functions. The author concludes that a psychiatrist should not rigidly define his or her role upon entering a particular setting but instead should allow a multitude of roles to unfold. Psychiatrists are also urged to remain constant students of the culture of the patients and organization, applying that knowledge as dictate by the treatment situation.