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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 13, 2026

An Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress Protocol for Instigating Depressive Symptoms, Behavioral Changes and Negative Health Outcomes in Rodents

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Published on: December 2, 2015

Psychobiological differences between depression and somatization.

Winfried Rief¹, Anika Hennings, Sabine Riemer

¹Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, D-35032 Marburg, Germany. rief@staff.uni-marburg.de

Journal of Psychosomatic Research

|April 21, 2010

Summary

Psychobiological studies reveal distinct pathways for depression and somatization, suggesting they are separate disorders. While some overlap exists, key differences in immune response and HPA axis activity support their distinction.

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Area of Science:

Psychiatry
Neuroscience
Genetics

Background:

Comorbidity studies indicate overlap between depression and somatization.
This has led to suggestions of classifying somatization under depressive disorders.
The study investigates psychobiological evidence for or against this classification.

Purpose of the Study:

To determine if psychobiological investigations support combining somatization and depression.
To explore whether distinct psychobiological pathways favor differentiating these disorders.

Main Methods:

Review of psychobiological studies on depression and somatization.
Focus on heritability, gene polymorphisms, immune activation, HPA axis, and neurotransmitter pathways.
Analysis of monoamino acids and fatty acid concentrations.

Main Results:

Immunological activation is linked to somatization features like sickness behavior and pain.
Genetic factors and serotonergic pathways play a role in both, but with distinct patterns.
Significant psychobiological discrepancies exist, particularly in immune processes, HPA axis activity, and nutrient levels.

Conclusions:

Numerous psychobiological pathways differ between depression and somatization.
These psychobiological differences support the classification of these syndromes as distinct entities.