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Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology pp 1524–1525Cite as

Masked Depression

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Synonyms

Depression equivalent; Depression without a depression; Hidden depression; Vegetative equivalent

Definition

Masked depression is a term that was largely used in the 1970s and 1980s to refer to patients who complained of somatic symptoms, without any identifiable organic disorder. Depressive symptoms were considered secondary or did not even need to be present. Today this diagnosis does not play a significant clinical or scientific role. Patients today are more likely to be diagnosed with somatization disorder, somatoform disorder, psychosomatic disorder, conversion disorder, neurasthenia, or hypochondriasis.

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Somatization

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  • DOI: 10.1007/978-0-387-79948-3_2130
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References and Readings

  • Bschor, T. (2002). Masked depression: The rise and fall of a diagnosis. Psychiatrische Praxis, 29, 207–210.

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  • Miodek, A., Szemraj, P., Kocur, J., & Ryś, A. (2007). Masked depression. Polish Merkur Lekarski, 23, 78–80.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, 32611, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Zoë Swaine

Authors
  1. Zoë Swaine
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Professor of Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry Virginia Commonwealth University – Medical Center Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, VCU, 980542, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0542, USA

    Jeffrey S. Kreutzer

  2. Kessler Foundation Research Center, 1199 Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange, NJ, 07052, USA

    John DeLuca

  3. Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Neurology and Neuroscience, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – New Jersey Medical School, New Jersey, USA

    John DeLuca

  4. Independent Practice, 564 M.O.B. East, 100 E. Lancaster Ave., Wynnewood, PA, 19096, USA

    Bruce Caplan

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© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Swaine, Z. (2011). Masked Depression. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79948-3_2130

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