Abstract
The present paper will review and discuss researchissues and findings of recent corss‐cultural studies of severe mental disorders. The paper is divided into two main sections. The first section will discuss: (1) the concept of culture, (2) hierarchical levels of human behavior determinants, (3) the cultural variability continuum, and (4) the concept of self. The second section will discuss: (1) epidemiology, (2) culture and clinical phenomenology in severe disorders, and (3) culture as an etiological determinant. The paper closes with a discussion of some conclusions and suggestions for future research.