Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 1995 Mar-Apr;36(2):S2-10.
doi: 10.1016/S0033-3182(95)71698-X.

Depressive disorders in the medically ill. An overview

Affiliations
Review

Depressive disorders in the medically ill. An overview

E H Cassem. Psychosomatics. 1995 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

Depressive disorders are far more serious than most people realize, and depressive disorders are disabling affected persons progressively earlier in life. Heavy utilization of medical services, extensive disability and morbidity, and high suicide risk exact a staggering economic toll in the United States annually. Depressive illness is, like pneumonia and septic shock, a dread complication of major medical illness, and depressive illness appears more frequently as the medical illness worsens; diseases affecting the brain may have the highest rates of depressive symptoms. Correctly diagnosing a depressive disorder in a medically ill patient is a clinical challenge that requires systematic, persistent clinical scrutiny. Compassion demands that depressive disorders, when diagnosed, be treated aggressively.

PubMed Disclaimer

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources