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	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

To the Editor: In the article on women's health and human rights in Afghanistan,¹ the authors provided valuable information regarding abuses promulgated by "religious rights" in that country.

However, 3 elements of the report do not ring true. First, the rate of "major depressions" was reported as 97% among their 160 survey subjects. Such high rates of major depressive disorder (MDD) have not been observed among refugees, combat veterans, rape survivors, prisoners of war, or other victimized groups.^2-3 Depressive symptoms well short of MDD, reported in groups exposed to ongoing social adversity,⁴ should not be confused with MDD. A problem may be use of a symptom checklist "to predict the clinical diagnosis of major depression."

Second, the reported rate of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in this sample was 42%, based on interview by a "trained health professional." The authors do not clarify whether they were assessing acute or chronic, current . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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Mental Health of Women in Afghanistan
Joseph Westermeyer and Vincent Iacopino
JAMA. 1999;281(3):230-231.
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