Frequency of psychological and somatic symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most commonly encountered psychiatric disorders in primary care. Depression is primarily a psychological illness; however, patients usually present with somatic symptoms. This pattern of presentation quite often poses a risk for patients with MDD due to the fact that general practitioners commonly attribute the cause of somatic symptoms to organic illnesses, thereby misdiagnosing patients. The current study focuses on the frequency of psychological and somatic symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder. The study is a cross-sectional survey using non-probability purposive sampling technique. The authors administered a self-developed questionnaire on 900 patients (male and female) diagnosed with major depressive disorder based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV-TR (DSM-IV-TR). The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences-10 (SPSS-10). Females presented with a higher frequency of somatic symptoms as compared to psychological symptoms, whereas males presented with a higher frequency of psychological symptoms as compared to somatic symptoms. These findings emphasize the imperative need for health care professionals to have a thorough understanding of major depressive disorder. The disabling effects of depression can be minimized and prognosis of such patients improved to the point of remission if depression is promptly diagnosed without ambiguity, and intensively treated based on the physician's comprehensive knowledge of the symptomatology of major depressive disorder.