If you're interested in current efforts by WHO to examine the relevance of
the disease concept in cultures worldwide consider looking into the
Cross-Cultural Applicability Research project that has just been completed
by the mental health division.  This project was jointly sponsored
by the WHO and US-NIAAA and involved primarily qualitative studies in 9
far-flung cultures on the relevance of the ICD/CIDI diagnoses, criteria
and individual items.  One of the sites was Ibandan, Nigeria.  We have a
paper overviewing the methodology and selected findings of the project
coming out in Addiction soon.  If you'd like a copy, just write me at the
Alcohol Research Group.  It might also be possible to put you in touch
with the main investigator at the Ibandan site, if you're interested.
 
Laura Schmidt (drinksls at cmsa.berkeley.edu)
Alcohol Research Group
2000 Hearst Ave, Berkeley CA 94709
(510) 642-5208