Depressive disorders in Ethiopia. A standardized assessment using the SADD schedule.

Fifty-two depressed patients were selected from out-patients at the psychiatric department of St. Paul's Hospital in Addis Ababa. A clinical assessment on each patient was carried out using a slightly revised SADD schedule. The findings were very similar to those from previous SADD studies in different cultures. The same "core" of depressive symptomatology could be detected in Ethiopian depressed patients. Most patients presented with somatic complaints. An interesting finding was that more women than men admitted aggressive feelings or acts. Remarkably few "culture-specific" data were found, which probably is not surprising when using a diagnostic tool with a cultural bias. Suggestions are put forward to explain the difference in frequency of some symptoms in Ethiopian patients compared with patients from other countries.