RESUMEN

The authors assessed patients newly admitted to two North American health centers and one South American (Colombian) center according to a standardized protocol, with a structured interview, a symptom checklist, and a depression scale. The patients were suffering from major depressive disorders with endogenous features. There was an impressive similarity in symptoms of depression across cultures, supporting the idea of a universal core depressive syndrome. However, somatization indexes, psychomotor components of depression, and levels of psychopathology differed between U.S. and Colombian samples. The authors offer a general discussion of potential determinants of these cross-cultural differences.

Asunto(s)

Comparación Transcultural , Trastorno Depresivo/diagnóstico , Adulto , Anciano , Trastorno Bipolar/diagnóstico , Trastorno Bipolar/psicología , Colombia , Trastorno Depresivo/psicología , Femenino , Hospitalización , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Escalas de Valoración Psiquiátrica , Estados Unidos

Asunto(s)

Antidepresivos/uso terapéutico , Comparación Transcultural , Depresión/tratamiento farmacológico , Adulto , Anciano , Colombia , Evaluación de Medicamentos , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estados Unidos