‘Impaired in life’: Analyzing people’s accounts of depression in Ethiopia – Implications for a cultural-eco social approach to global mental health

Background: Depression is a global crisis and a major concern in mental health interventions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where it significantly impacts disability, quality of life, and economic stability. These chronic stressors have been used to argue for scaling up the detection and treatment of depression as a public health and development priority. Aim: This study aimed to explore illness narratives of depression among patients’ and to gain insights into multifaceted suffering, its impact on persons’ lives, and help seeking. This study is part the broader study which examined global mental health, biopolitics, and depression in Ethiopia, conducted in hospice setting to explore the conception of depression in Bahirdar city, Northern Ethiopia, among patients and health care providers. In this study, we focus on patients’ accounts of depression. Method: We employed an ethnography method using in-depth interviews, fieldnotes, and observation to collect the data. A thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Drawing from cross-cultural and critical psychiatry perspectives, we situate depression within its cultural-eco social framework. Results: The study revealed that patients’ experiences and conception of depression are deeply intertwined with Ethiopia’s sociocultural, economic, and spiritual context. Depression was often described as a state of being ‘impaired in life’, reflecting the complex interplay of individual struggles and societal pressures. Integrating quotes from patients, we demonstrated in this analysis the ways in which biographically specific challenges, societal pressures, and mental well-being are understood by study participants in accordance with Ethiopian cultural and religious norms. Conclusion: The study suggests moving beyond narrow interpretative frameworks in GMH praxis to understand and address the complex dimensions of depression in Ethiopia and similar contexts. The study advocates for a cultural-ecosocial approach to depression, emphasizing the need for mental health interventions that consider the broader social and cultural factors contributing to mental distress.