Depressive disorder among Turkish women in the Netherlands: a qualitative study of idioms of distress.

The provision of mental health services to immigrants in the Netherlands is hampered by difficulty in establishing valid diagnoses of psychiatric disorders. To improve the process of diagnosing depressive disorder among Turkish women in Dutch mental healthcare, we conducted a qualitative study of women with depression in Rotterdam. A bilingual Turkish-Dutch diagnostic interview was developed to explore Turkish women's idioms of distress. Interviews were conducted with 20 women with a disputed diagnosis of depression. Results showed that distress among the Turkish women was characterized by a wide range of somatic complaints, with anxiety and agitation occurring as frequently as depressive complaints. Because the range of complaints is so varied, major depression may be underdiagnosed in the Turkish immigrant population.