title: Depressed affect as a cause of associated somatic problems.
abstract: 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 time 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 post-synaptic 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.
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter / Q000502:physiology; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter