[Disturbances of body-experience in acute anxiety and depressive disorders - neuroticism or somatization?].

In view of the uncertain relationship between body related "Boundary loss" and anxiety as well as depression symptoms we carried out the following study. Our aim was to explore these symptoms in their diagnostic and clinical significance and to define body distortions and organic disturbances. We examined the body perception (via Image Marking Procedure), aspects of body image via Body Distortion Questionnaire and via Visual Analogue Scales on self-perception of body weight and size) and body cathexis/satisfaction (via Visual Analogue-Scale) and their changes during hospital treatment in 28 patients with anxiety disorders (ICD-10, F40 - F41) and 40 patients with depressive disorders (ICD-10, F32 - F34). The phenomena were assessed by following instruments: Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Hamilton Depression Scale, Clinical Anxiety Scale, State-Trait Anxiety-Scale, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Functional somatic complaints were assessed by Zerssen Complaint list three days after admission and again two and four weeks after inpatient treatment. Body size estimation was also assessed longitudinally in a control group of 44 healthy individuals (ward staff). On average, both patient groups displayed body dissatisfaction and high scores in the somatic complaint list as well as somatic depersonalisation and boundary loss, but in comparison with the control group there were no relevant disturbances of body size estimation. The body related phenomena were all closely correlated among each other as well as with psychopathology scores of anxiety and depressive disorder. The symptoms decreased significantly together with reduction of the psychopathological phenomena. The results could be regarded as body related equivalent of these psychopathological disturbances or they could be interpreted as symbolic (somatized) bodily represented negative cognitions and emotions. The hypothesis that these body-related phenomena outlasting the acute phase of illness could be used as neuroticism markers was not confirmed.