Cultural Notion of Depression in Nepal

Abstract

The exploratory study of depression in Nepal is designed to examine the common perceptions of depression, its major causes, cultural attribution of depression and stigma attached to being depressed and health seeking behavior. This study focused on samples of 48 key informants from different geographical regions (mountain, hill, valley and plain). Focused group discussion was used to generate qualitative information. After content analysis of major opinions and attitudes elicited in the FGDS, ten notable themes were identified. They manifested local explanation and expression of depressive episodes, its causes and their own way of health seeking practices in the community. The results have implications for the delivery of culturally sensitive mental health services in different geographical regions in Nepal. Awareness of culturally appropriate terminology for depression is a useful way of bridging the gap between lay and biomedical models of illness and may help improve levels of recognition and treatment compliance.