Compared mixed sex groups' BDI scores (50 Egyptian and 45 German depressed inpatients with scores of 50 controls per country). Criteria for major depression was the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III (DSM-III). Factor analysis indicated a high correlation of 6 unrotated factors between the 2 samples, underscoring the intercultural stability of the BDI for measuring depression. However, Egyptian Ss and controls scored significantly higher than their German counterparts, and Egyptian Ss scored higher than an American sample of 168 patients (R. Steer et al; see record 1986-24718-001). The authors suggest the higher Egyptian scores might be a function of the linguistic "tendency to hyperbole," which would influence BDI self-reports. Egyptian Ss also complained more about somatic symptoms than German Ss. (English abstract)