[Somatoform depressive disorders]

The Tetra-dimensional Model of Depression has several advantages for diagnosis and therapy in relation to other models. Therefore, somatoform depressive symptoms are described here following this model. In the depressive mood, pain and paraesthesiae are the most important somatic symptoms. In the anergy, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel and sexual inhibition. In the communication disorder, vertigo and limitation of facial expressivity. In the rhytmopathy, insomnia and bulimia. In order to detect the depression in a clinical picture integrated by functional somatic symptoms we haven seven kinds of features: personal and family history, clinic and evolutive aspects of somatic symptoms, the search of psychic symptoms, the therapeutic reaction and the type of the personality.