title: Differences in psychological and somatic symptom cluster score profiles between subjects with Idiopathic environmental intolerance, major depression and schizophrenia.
abstract: Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance (IEI) has been associated with psychogenic factors and an increased number of comorbid psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety disorder. The purpose of the current study was to examine a possible overlap of psychological and somatic symptoms between subjects with IEI and patients with major depression and schizophrenia as well as to specify characteristic differences. The different symptom clusters included symptoms of chemical intolerance, neurotoxicity and psychological distress as well as measurements of mental health such as anxiety, depression, somatoform symptoms, and schizophrenia-specific disturbances in cognitive domains. IEI patients reported higher overall levels in physical symptoms such as chemical intolerance, neurotoxicity and somatic symptoms not attributable to an organic cause. Schizophrenia patients showed higher overall levels in self-experienced disturbances in several schizophrenia-specific cognitive domains, whereas general psychological distress, anxiety and depression were rated highest by patients with major depression. Importantly, the groups markedly differed in the shapes of profiles of various symptom clusters. Our results provide evidence that IEI patients can be distinguished on the phenomenological level from patients with major depression or schizophrenia, and that distinct domains of psychological and somatic symptoms are particularly problematic in specific diagnostic groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Biological Psychology Unit, University of Graz, Austria. Electronic address: e.weiss@uni-graz.at.
authors.forename: Elisabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy A, LKH Hall, Austria; Research Unit of Translational Neurogastroenterology, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 4, A-8010 Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Evelin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Singewald
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Biological Psychology Unit, University of Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baldus
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Biological Psychology Unit, University of Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hofer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy A, LKH Hall, Austria.
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marksteiner
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy A, LKH Hall, Austria.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nasrouei
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy A, LKH Hall, Austria.
authors.forename: Beatrix
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ruepp
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Hans-Peter
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Kapfhammer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fitz
authors.affiliation: Umweltmedizin, Fachkliniken Nordfriesland, Bredstedt, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mai
authors.affiliation: Umweltmedizin, Fachkliniken Nordfriesland, Bredstedt, Germany.
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Biological Psychology Unit, University of Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Ilona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Papousek
authors.affiliation: Research Unit of Translational Neurogastroenterology, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 4, A-8010 Graz, Austria; BioTechMed-Graz, Krenngasse 37/1, 8010 Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Holzer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000071896:Medically Unexplained Symptoms; D008875:Middle Aged; D018777:Multiple Chemical Sensitivity / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D063189:Symptom Assessment
keywords: Anxiety; Depression; Idiopathic environmental intolerance; Schizophrenia; Symptom profiles