i dont know, uta.. i definitely dont believe that these are biological deficiencies, because i grew up up in nairobi and the first time i heard that kids suffer from mental illnesses was when i got here. but that said. i currently work with children whose mothers are recovering from drug addiction. and there's something to say about the emotional scars they carry and how these manifest themselves in different behaviour issues. also think about the trauma of just being in this society. that (i feel) manifests itself in different forms.... we aren't supposed to live in this way.. that said.. i do think there has to be some attempt at facing this as an issue that has developed out of living the "western ideal". right now the solution seems to be to medicate.. which doesn't solve anything. and i like to believe that experiencing a more wholistic lifestyle or education would eventually remove this problem. but it can't just be ignored at the moment. (im gonna add this to my list of curricula ideas..).

>I'm reading an essay on some of the differences between
>African cultures and here. The examples you listed are
>virtually unheard of and in the case of mental retardation,
>which in itself a western concept, not usually a problem. A
>while ago there was the topic of ADD (attention deficit
>disorder) a purely western concept when you think about it. Or
>another one, as Solarus informed me, Schizophrenia, which in
>the west is handled differently than in traditional Afikan
>societies. Both of these "biological illnesses" are handled in
>different ways in the Afrikan culture. This shows that certain
>stimuli are cultural specific and can be combateed by a better
>way of life, a better culture and a better education. I'll
>explain more after I read this article. Those factors don't
>impede learning, look at it this way "there are no bad
>students, just bad teachers". An effective way of teaching
>just needs to be found.
>
>
>"REAL RECOGNIZE REAL, and even more than that, the fake, they
>REALLY REALLY recognize REAL!" -BlackThought
>
>