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- Path: sparky!uunet!gumby!yale!news.wesleyan.edu!news.wesleyan.edu!news
- Newsgroups: sci.med
- Subject: Medical Conditions that can Mimic Depression
- Message-ID: <1993Jan24.163741.656@news.wesleyan.edu>
- From: RGINZBERG@eagle.wesleyan.edu (Ruth Ginzberg)
- Date: 24 Jan 93 16:37:40 EDT
- Distribution: world
- Organization: Philosophy Dept., Wesleyan University
- Nntp-Posting-Host: eagle.wesleyan.edu
- X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.20Lines: 73
- Lines: 73
-
- According to DSM-IIIR diagnostic criteria, depression can only be diagnosed
- when it cannot be established that some other organic condition is the cause of
- the symptoms. Here are some of the medical conditions which can mimic
- depression (or manic-depression or mania), according to Demitri Papolos, M.D.
- and Janice Papolos in OVERCOMING DEPRESSION (revised edition; 1992); pp. 40-41.
- Copied here w/out permission.
-
- HORMONAL & METABOLIC DISORDERS
- hypothyroidism
- hyperthyroidism
- Cushing's Disease
- Addison's Disease
- Wilson's Disease
- Hyperparathyroidism
- Hypoglycemia
-
- INFECTIOUS DISEASES
- Influenzas
- Mononucleosis
- Hepatitis
- Viral Pneumonias
- AIDS
- Syphilis
-
- CANCERS
- Pancreatic
- Central Nervous System tumors
-
- AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (& its treatment w. steroids)
-
- NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS
- Parkinson's disease
- Alzheimer's disease or other dementia
- Temporal Lobe epilepsy
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Huntington's Chorea
- Stroke
-
- BLOOD DISEASES
- Iron deficiency anemia
- Acute intermittent porphyria
-
- METAL INTOXICATIONS
- Thallium
- Mercury
- Manganese
-
- NUTRITIONAL DISORDERS
- Pellagra
- Pernicious anemia
-
- OTHER DISEASES
- Lyme disease
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
-
-
- [They go on to say: ]
-
- "Almost all of these medical conditions can be ruled in or out by
- physical examination coupled with appropriate clinical laboratory
- studies. Therefore, it is extremely important that the diagnosing
- physician take a personal patient and family medical history as
- well as request that the patient have a complete physical
- examination and selected blood tests, including thyroid function
- studies. Only then should a primary depressive (or manic) episode
- -- one that is not secondary to or caused by a primary medical
- condition -- be diagnosed."
-
-
- ------------------------
- Ruth Ginzberg <rginzberg@eagle.wesleyan.edu>
- Philosophy Department;Wesleyan University;USA
-