Discusses the problems involved in the utilization of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) by Tunisian psychiatrists: cultural (e.g., DSM-III's elimination of homosexuality from its list of psychiatric disorders); theoretical (e.g., the psychoanalytic orientation of most Tunisian psychiatrists); unfamiliarity with DSM-III; and practical (scarcity of local psychiatrists and the latter's resistance to change). With these caveats, the authors find DSM-III a useful diagnostic and epidemiological tool. (0 ref)