Depression--a diagnosis sometimes missed and sometimes mistaken.

ABSTRACT

PIP: Following a brief presentation of the clinical picture of major depression, attention is directed to different forms of missed diagnosis. The clinical picture of major depression is characterized by marked uniformity and includes 2 highly typical disturbances: pronounced diurnal fluctuations and early or very early awakening. Other central features include a feeling of hopelessness, the disappearance of all prospects for the future, and feelings of guilt sometimes assuming absurd proportions. In addition, there are many other accompanying manifestations. Yet, despite this, it is not easy to recognize depression, particularly since the patient's gloomy and dejected mood often occupies the background of the picture. Cross-cultural psychiatric studies reveal that in non-Western cultures expression often mainfests itself in the form of a wide variety of somatic complaints, including pain. The term "masked depression" has come into common use to describe what are cases where, in the presence of predominantly physical signs and symptoms, an underlying depressive state goes unrecognized. This applies particularly to syndromes of which headache and pains in the chest, abdomen, and limbs are prominent features. It is unclear as to what extent somatic manifestations of depression are on the increase in the Western world. Yet, clearly, many patients deny that they suffer from depression and cling firmly to their physical complaints. Although depression may lurk behind a series of poorly defined physical complaints, essential characteristics of genuine depression emerge upon further diagnostic exploration. Secondary accompaiments to depression include periodic abuse of alcohol or medicines and disturbances affecting sexual behavior. In the elderly, the differential diagnosis of dementia and depression may give rise to confusion. Anxiety emerges as a frequent accompanying manifestation in depressive patients, yet all anxious patients do not suffer with depression. Additionally, many manifestations of anxiety and depression closely resemble one another, adding to the confusion. There is limited awareness of phobic and compulsive phenomena as manifestations of depression. These phenomena may disappear in response to treatment for the depression and are by no means always related to a premorbid compulsive personality structure. The issue of the application of the term "depression" to conditions that most likely are not depressive are considered from the standpoints of endocrinopathy and of pharmacology. The problem posed by depressive syndromes occurring in oral contraceptive (OC) users is more complex. When the progesterone content is high in relation to the estrogen component, the patient may sometimes suffer from loss of libido and loss of pleasure in sex or life in general. These changes respond favorably to a change in the type of OC.