Symptoms Of Atypical Depression, Clinical Depression And The Flu
Q: If someone has the flu and feels miserable, are they clinically
depressed while they have the flu? If not, why not? Can the symptoms
of clinical depression be the same as the symptoms of the flu?
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A:The short answer is "no", because the symptoms are not exactly the
same, not all kinds of "miserable" are the same, etc.
HOWEVER, some symptoms overlap: anorexia, for example; but still others
are more like "atypical depression", in which overeating (OR perhaps
carbohydrate craving?) is reported, and the most notable symptom is
lethargy. Poor concentration is likely in all three (flu, typical
depression, atypical depression).
Those who have seen some of my postings (espec. in bionet.neuroscience
and bionet.immunology) know I have an interest in the role of IL-1 in
these phenomena. IL-1 is known to be increased (in the brain and
elsewhere) by infection (among other things), and has been reported to
be elevated in the serum of atypical depressives but NOT in typical
depressives (nor dysthymics)--poster by J. Griffiths et al. at Society
for Neuroscience Nov.96.
My SUSPICION is that while some aspects of atypical depression may be
produced by flu (poor concentration, lethargy, etc.), "mood" or
"emotional" or "attitudinal" aspects may not be, usually--but MIGHT be
in someone predisposed to depression (e.g. by family history or
personal history). (By "mood" etc., I mean sadness, pessimism, guilt,
poor self-esteem, inability to feel pleasure, etc.)
What if someone has flu symptoms that last longer than the flu is
"supposed" to last? Would it be justifiable to diagnose that person
with clinical depression?
If you inject normal people with IL-1 do they start having the
symptoms of atypical depression?
What is atypical depression? Is it a specific set of symptoms (for
example increased appetite, irritated mood and hypersomnia) or is it
any kind of depression with any unusual symptoms or not enough
symptoms to meet the requirements of the DSM?
If it is not too much trouble, please send e-mail as well as
answering in the newsgroup. My news feed is not always that
reliable (I often see replies to