[Neurological masks of depression (effectiveness of tianeptine)]

40 patients with panic attacks, chronic algesic syndromes (chronic headaches of tension, cardialgias) entered the study. They also had depression of mild or moderate degree. 65% of the patients denied actively disorders of the mood; 80% were sure that they had a severe disease that was difficult to diagnose; most of them doubted the efficiency of therapy with psychotropic preparations. An analysis of the polymorphism of clinical symptomatology of the masked depression revealed in more than half of the patients some combinations of clinical syndromes, such as autonomic dysfunction, algesic manifestations, motivation and insomniac disorders. A structure of panic attacks was characterized by the prevalence of the autonomic symptoms as compared with the anxious ones. All the patients were treated with tianeptine (37.5 mg/day) during six weeks. The therapy was effective in 67.5% of the patients. The study revealed an equal efficiency of the drug in comorbid depressive, anxious and autonomic disorders as well as a good tolerance.