title: Depression in patients with neuromyasthenia (benign myalgic encephalomyelitis).
abstract: Neuromyasthenia (benign myalgic encephalomyelitis) is a term used to describe a protracted and incomplete recovery phase following viral-like illnesses. There are few significant physical findings or abnormal laboratory determinations. Although depressive symptoms have been observed in individuals with neuromyasthenia, systematic psychological investigations based on a standardized interview technique have not been reported. This study was designed to investigate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and psychiatric symptoms in a group of patients presenting with neuromyasthenia. The study consisted of three parts: a structured psychiatric interview (The National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule), a self-report measure (The Beck Depression Inventory) and Dexamethasone Suppression Test. Results indicated that relative to a matched comparison group of non-clinical volunteers, a significant percentage (67%) of neuromyasthenic patients met criteria for major depression. Even more striking was the observation that 50 percent of the sample had a major depressive episode prior to the development of neuromyasthenia. These findings suggest that sporadic neuromyasthenia may be the result of an organic illness in psychologically susceptible individuals.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications*; D003907:Dexamethasone; D004679:Encephalomyelitis / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
chemical_list: D003907:Dexamethasone