VOlUME 05 ISSUE 05 May 2026
1Dr Şebnem Deniz ONAT, 2İsmail Birol
1St. Clements University/Department of Psychology Lecturer/UK
ORCID ID: 0009-0001-3083-7886
2St. Clements University/Department of Psychology Master’s Student/UK,
ORCID ID: 0009-0005-9540-8440
DOI : https://doi.org/10.58806/ijsshmr.2026.v5i5n17Google Scholar Download Pdf
ABSTRACT
Depression is recognised as one of the oldest known psychiatric disorders. It is known that in non-Western societies, this disorder is predominantly expressed through physical symptoms and that suicide rates are lower compared to Western societies. Conversely, it is stated that in Western societies, feelings of guilt more frequently accompany depression, and that this phenomenon is explained by the influences of the Judeo-Christian tradition. For example, the belief that the individual is inherently sinful features among these explanations. In many cultures, it is observed that the behaviour of seeking help is shaped through physical complaints. The application of Western psychiatric diagnostic and treatment methods without flexibility can lead to underlying psychosocial problems being overlooked in societies where physical expressions are predominant. For this reason, taking cultural sensitivity into account in the assessment of depression is regarded as a fundamental necessity.
KEYWORDS:Depression, Culture, Somatisation.
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Cite this Article:ONAT, D. S. D., & Birol, I. (2026). A Cross-Cultural Perspective on Depression and A Comparison of Treatment Approaches. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE HUMANITY & MANAGEMENT RESEARCHS, 5(5), 1073-1081. https://doi.org/10.58806/ijsshmr.2026.v5i5n17