Transkulturelle Aspekte der Depression

Abstract

For many decades it was assumed that depressive disorders are mainly a problem of Western societies. However, a World Bank report published in 1993 revealed that Major Depression is already the fifth leading contributor to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) among women in developmentally disadvantaged countries. The core symptoms of depression are disorders of affect, conduct and somatic complaints. In Western societies, the key symptom of depression is regarded to be a disorder of affect. However, in other cultural settings, different symptoms may be more central for depression. Nowadays mental health specialists have regular contact with patients from different cultural backgrounds. In order to achieve optimal results in diagnosing and treating mental disorders, it is important to consider the cultural background of a patient and her or his explanatory model of the disease. Transcultural psychiatry and psychotherapy aims at developing culture-sensitive concepts for treatment and mental health services and tries to increase insight in culture-related psychopathology and epidemiology.

Depression in middle-aged and older first generation migrants in Europe: Results from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)

“…The experience of migration may pose a threat to physical as well as mental well-being and health [23]. Anxiety, depression, psychosomatic disorders, and an increased risk for psychotic disorders have been reported to be prevalent in some migrant populations [1,5,13]. Depression has been estimated to be the fourth leading cause of the global burden of disease, representing the single largest contributor to nonfatal burden [51].…”

Trainee editorial: psychiatry should be taught from day one in medical school‡

“…In addition, we learned that understanding mental disorders is not possible without understanding cultural differences. In our daily practice, we should be attentive that prominent features of common psychiatric disorders will vary in different ethno-cultural settings [7]. Ethnic differences might have a great impact on received diagnoses [8].…”

Psychiatrische Begutachtung in asyl- bzw. ausländerrechtlichen Verfahren

“…Eine Depression kann sich sehr unterschiedlich ausdrücken, und die zentralen Merkmale (affektive Störungen, Verhaltensstörungen, somatisch-vegetative Beschwerden) können u. a. kulturabhängig unterschiedlich gewichtet sein [19]. Vor allem in westlichen Kulturen steht in der Regel die Störung des Affekts im Vordergrund.…”