Psychosomatics 1994; 35:341-353
Copyright © 1994 by Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH REPORTS |
Affective disorders and endocrine disease. New insights from psychosomatic studies
GA Fava
Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Italy.
This is a review of psychosomatic interactions between affective disorders
(depressive and anxiety disturbances, irritable mood) and endocrine
disease. Particular reference is made to stressful life events in the
pathogenesis of endocrine disease, psychopathology of hormonal
disturbances, and pathophysiology of hypothalamic-pituitary- adrenal axis
function in depression and Cushing's disease. These psychosomatic
interactions may lead to appraisal of common etiological mechanisms in
endocrine and psychiatric disorders, of the value of retaining the category
of organic affective syndromes in psychiatric classification, and of the
need for research on quality-of-life measures in endocrine disease. The
establishment of "psychoendocrine units," where both endocrinologists and
psychiatrists should work, is advocated. Such psychoendocrine units may
serve and benefit clinical populations who currently defy traditional
medical subdivisions.
