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Query: UMLS:C0011570 (depression)
 172,036 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Masked depression is an endogenous or psychogenic depressive state in which the somatic symptoms predominate while the psychical symptoms are only present in the background. Therefore it is a matter of phenomenological diagnosis. An enquiry conducted among general practitioners in Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland has shown that up to 10% of the patients consulting a physician are suffering from depression and half of the cases are masked depressions. An enquiry disclosed in 1978 among 74 practising physicians proved that 18% of the patients seeking medical advice suffer from depressive states and that about half of the cases are masked depressions. Diagnosis and therapy of masked depression are of great practical importance in everyday practice because of its frequency. The diagnosis has to be established on the basis of the depressive background symptoms. The masked depressions often show anxious-hypochondrical character and therefore have to be treated with antidepressant drugs with anxiolytic effect. The choice of the antidepressant drug with the right activity profile is decisive for the success of the therapy. Finally, there is a short review about diagnosis and therapy of masked depression.
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PMID:[The concept of masked depression (author's transl)]. 54 68

Masked depression refers to a concept of a phenomenological state, either endogenous or psychogenic where somatic symptoms replace sadness: Thirty patients were evaluated by RDC (22 endogenous and 8 masked depressions) wherein in the latter dysphoria was replaced by a nonreactive persistent somatic complaint. They were rated on Beck and Hamilton Depression Scales, on Hamilton and Trait-State Anxiety Scales and the NOSIE. All patients presented with insomnia, anorexia, loss of weight, diminished libido and anhedonia. Initial ratings were similar for both diagnostic groups except for a significantly higher agitation factor and lower retardation in masked depression. Although 59.9 percent of the subjects are positive on the dexamethasone test, only 1 masked depression did not suppress secretion of cortisol. After a randomized 30-day drug trial where patients were assigned to Clomipramine or Desipramine, patients in both groups show significant improvement on rating scales but diagnostic group drug treatment interaction exists on anxiety and agitation criteria.
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PMID:[Comparison of masked and endogenous depression using psychometric scales, endocrinological markers and pharmacological responses. Masked depression versus endogenous depression]. 309 93

Depression can be produced in many different ways. Via cerebral nuclear-specific imbalance a depression can be associated with disturbances in nuclear regions regulating muscular tone. Such syndromes appear chiefly as syndromes of the cervical vertebral column or lumbal vertebral column or as a general "non-specific-pain-syndrome". Depression may also cause manifestations of "latent" rheumatic complaints by lowering the pain threshold. Chronic physical diseases may be assumed to produce depression via the "common pathway" (nuclear-specific imbalance of biogenic amines). Masked depression can assume the pattern of rheumatic pain syndrome and might be treated as such for a long time purely somatically (i.e. non-effectively because non-specifically).
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PMID:[Depression in rheumatic diseases or somatic symptoms in depression]. 611 1

All depressive syndromes include physical as well as psychological features. Physical symptoms in major "endogenous" depression are well known. In other forms, called masked depressions, various physical disorders are the patients main complaint and may be misleading. Localized pain and paresthesia are common. Behaviour disorders may mask depression in adolescents. Mood disturbances (loss of interest, anhedonia) as well as the personal and family histories, should be precisely assessed in order to establish diagnosis. Masked depression is not a minor form of depressive syndrome and antidepressant drugs should be used in correct doses over a sufficient period of time.
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PMID:[Masked depression and paucisymptomatic depression (author's transl)]. 627 36

Depressive disorders which masked by somatic symptoms is called masked depression. Masked depression is not a specific type of depression, but the general practitioners often misdiagnose it, because patients complain only somatic symptoms and most practitioners are not aware of it belongs to depression. Usually masked depression is mild, but is apt to chronic, and some patients become worse and might attempt suicide. The cause of depression is still obscure, but according to the results of many somatic tests, somatic findings are important. And differential diagnosis is also important. Concerning the treatment of mild depression, the patients dislike usual antidepressants because of the side effects. Then the author recommend to use a small dose of the drugs and some oriental herbal medicines. Oriental herbal medicines have fewer side effects, and effective for vegetative symptoms.
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PMID:[Masked depression]. 800

Masked depression is a common case of depression observed in the field of internal medicine. Masked depression redeems the organic disease alone, and so is often detected in the case of unidentified complaints. Symptomatic depression associated with the underlying disease is another type of depression that is commonly observed. In addition, there is the so-called "premonitory depression", which must be regarded as clinically important. This report describes our experience in the treatment of premonitory depression, with discussion on the consequence of manifestation of depression as the primary symptom of malignant tumor.
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PMID:[Depression in the field of internal medicine]. 800 16

Masked depression is a condition in which the classic affective and cognitive symptoms of depression are hidden behind a variety of somatic complaints or behavioural problems. Patients suffering from masked depression are usually incorrectly diagnosed and treated symptomatically with little success. The condition is often encountered in the medical literature from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, but little has been published about it in recent years. This review discusses the changing ideas and approach with regard to masked depression and examines whether they are still relevant today. The literature published in each of the previous decades is studied and specific attention is given to cultural differences in a South African context. Although little has been published on masked depression in the past few years, somatic complaints in depression are still regularly examined in the literature. A significant number of patients with depression are still not correctly diagnosed and masked depression therefore remains relevant. Doctors should be aware of the presenting complaints in these patients and should understand the reasons for somatisation.
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PMID:[Masked depression]. 855 44

Masked depression is a special form of an atypical depression. In the 70's and 80's years it was often identified at patients who complained on somatic diseases, without any distinguishable organic disorder. Depression symptoms were of secondary importance, with lesser intensification, some of them didn't appear at all. The psychiatrists of the time created a lot of terms to describe them, i.e.: a depression equivalent, a vegetative equivalent, a depression without a depression, a hidden depression. Current classifications: ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision) and DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, published by the American Psychiatric Association) do not contain the term masked depression. It doesn't mean that have disappeared the problem of atypical depression syndrome with a picture significantly different from the commonly known. The american scientists claim that such group contains 6-7% of depression disorders. The lack of proper diagnosis and disease entity qualification leads to serious somatic and psychological consequences for patients. Improper diagnosis and treatment of a patient limits his or her social and professional life, forms suicide rate and makes high costs of diagnosis and treatment.
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PMID:[Masked depression--history and present days]. 1805 36