Objective: The aim of this paper was to survey the writings by Western-trained and other psychiatrists and mental health professionals about Aboriginal peoples of Australia.
Method: A literature survey of works by psychiatrists and Aboriginal people from 1788 to the mid-1990s was undertaken.
Results: There is a dearth of literature until the 1960s when there is an upsurge which continues to grow.
Conclusions: There has been an exponential growth of interest in Aboriginal and psychiatric perspectives since the 1960s. Some suggestions are made to explain this.
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