DEPRESSED AFFECT AS A CAUSE OF ASSOCIATED SOMATIC PROBLEMS

Depressed affect as a cause of associated somatic problems is explored by means of data on affect, appetite, energy, and sleep collected from a community sample and from subsamples contacted after each of several tisne lags. The analysis of the data indicates that depressed affect is a cause of the major somatic problems associated with it. It is suspected that depressed affect involves continuing high density neural firing which, over a period of months, causes a reduction of postsynaptic biogenic amine receptor cell sensitivity in the brainstem, with the diencephalon as the major site. This results in a functional impairment responsible for the somatic problems. © 1979, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.