A method of incorporating sociocultural issues into the clinical formulation. The cultural formulation begins with a review of the individual’s cultural identity, which involves not only ethnicity, acculturation/biculturality, and language but also age, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, religious and spiritual beliefs, disabilities, political orientation, and health literacy, among other factors.
A systematic review of a person’s cultural background and the role of culture in the manifestation of symptoms and dysfunction. It includes the cultural identity of the individual, cultural explanations of the illness, cultural factors related to the environment and individual functioning, cultural elements of the clinician patient relationship, and a general discussion of how cultural considerations may influence the diagnosis and treatment of a psychiatric illness.