James N. Butcher

Culture and Depression: Studies in the Anthropology and Cross-Cultural Psychiatry of Affect and Disorder.

Originally published in Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, 1986, Vol 31(9), 719. Reviews the book, Culture and Depression: Studies in the Anthropology and Cross-Cultural Psychiatry of Affect and Disorder edited by Arthur Kleinman and Byron Good (1985). This edited volume deals with depression from a cross-cultural perspective. The book begins with an interesting historical account of depression and contains several chapters contrasting depressive symptomatology across cultures. This is a scholarly volume with extensive, up-to-date information on cultural factors in the manifestation of depression. The book is well designed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)

Dying, Death and Bereavement

Originally published in Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, 1986, Vol 31(3), 230–231. Reviews the book, Dying, Death and Bereavement by L. R. Aiken (1985). This book represents an attempt to present diverse information on the issues related to death and bereavement for undergraduate or graduate students exposed to the area for the first time. Authors approach is eclectic and multidisciplinary and brings together information from diverse disciplines such as medicine, anthropology, sociology, psychology, literature, and criminology and law. He has chosen interesting illustrative material and has presented the pertinent issues in a readable format. This book should be of value as a primary text for undergraduate students or as a supplementary or background resource for graduate students taking seminars in death and dying. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)