Stigma and discrimination experienced by persons suffering from mental illness, unlike other medical conditions, recognized as a barrier in countries rich and poor, and in countries with well-developed mental health services and those with limited services. It was hypothesized that depression may affect patients’ attitude towards mental illness “public stigma” as well as self-stigmatization and that there will be a difference between Egyptians and Germans.

This study sets out to identify and compare public–and self-stigma among depressed women in two different communities.

To test findings from transcultural comparative study of two patient groups of depressed women from two different communities. Participants were 50 adult females diagnosed with depression from Egypt and Germany.

Participants completed after clinical interviewing and diagnosis with depression two questionnaires: the inventory of attitude towards mental illness (Shokeer, 2002) and the explanatory model interview catalogue EMIC (Weis et al., 2001).

Analysis indicates that positive attitudes towards mental illness were more for the German respondents than for the Egyptians. There were significant differences between the two groups in the causal attributions of mental illness. Psychotherapy was widely accepted in the two groups as a helpful method for treatment of mental illness.

It was concluded that the traditional beliefs affect the understanding of illness causality and that the subjective experience of depression may affect attitude towards mental illness and mentally ill people. The effect of the social desirability is discussed.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.