title: Are there any gender differences in frequency of self-reported somatic symptoms of depression?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether self-reported somatic symptoms of depression, as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), are more frequent in women than in men with major depressive disorder.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 105 male and 105 female adult psychiatric outpatients diagnosed with major depressive disorder was classified according to endorsed changes in appetite, changes in sleeping pattern, and fatigue (i.e., "somatic depression") symptoms on the BDI-II.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The female to male ratio of somatic symptoms was approximately 2:1. Subsequent analyses found that change in appetite robustly distinguished between women and men and that fatigue partially distinguished between women and men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The sample was largely Caucasian and composed of patients with high rates of comorbidity who presented to a service known for specializing in cognitive therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In outpatients with major depressive disorder, the higher prevalence of "somatic depression" in women is largely attributable to changes in appetite.
authors.affiliation: Psychopathology Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market St., Room 2029, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. awenzel@mail.med.upenn.edu
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wenzel
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Steer
authors.forename: Aaron T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Beck
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009518:New York; D012737:Sex Factors; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D013223:Statistics as Topic