title: The cultural origins of western depression.
abstract: Focusing on the British cultural vocabulary of guilt, fatigue, energy, stress and depression; this paper argues that such vocabularies have their own unique histories and meanings; deeply embedded, in this instance, within "white British and western European" institutions. Predicated on a western epistemology, these constructs developed in response to prevailing concerns at different periods in western history; but are now assumed to be universal natural entities that await further scientific research and investigation. The cross-cultural validity of depression as a universal disorder is therefore dubious and needs an extensive re-examination.
authors.affiliation: University College London, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jadhav
mesh_terms: D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003469:Culture; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000266:history* / Q000523:psychology*; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D010553:Personality Development; D012945:Social Values; D006113:United Kingdom; D014825:Vocabulary; D019366:Western World