Cultural applicability of screening tools for measuring symptoms of depression

Both the type as well as the severity of depressive symptoms requires assessment through culturally sensitive screening tools, if appropriate psychological services are to be provided. 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, measurement, and treatment. In this chapter, the cultural meaning of depression, issues concerning culturally appropriate translations, and the cultural applicability of depression screening tools, in those whose main language is not English, will be discussed and reflected upon. This chapter will also illustrate the relevance of a culture-centered approach to our understanding of mental health illness and will outline some of the key issues related to the development of culturally sensitive depression screening tools to be used in South Asians