To treat depression effectively, members of the multi-disciplinary mental health team must adopt a holistic approach that incorporates the biopsychosocial model of disease. Other factors such as religiosity, spirituality and culture must also be taken into consideration when eliciting a psychiatric history from a patient experiencing depressive illness. This review article focuses on the cultural factors of depressive illness and how these can influence disease detection, progression, treatment and outcome.
Keywords: depression, culture, idioms of distress, cultural literacy