Psychosomatics and depression

The enormous socio-cultural arrangements of the last centenary led to transformations in the course of diseases. Child mortality and infectious diseases could be largely eliminated. On the other hand, there appeared new diseases because of prolongation of life, increase of population, stress and conflicts. They, therefore, are called 'specific human diseases'--as depressions, neurosis, psychosomatic disturbances and drug abuse. In the last years depression more and more appeared as somatically masked depression.