Unexplained Somatic Symptoms during Major Depression: Prevalence and Clinical Impact in a National Sample of Italian Psychiatric Outpatients

The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence and impact of unexplained somatic symptoms during major depression.A total of 560 consecutive outpatients with a major depressive episode according to the DSM-IV (text revision) were evaluated in 30 psychiatric facilities throughout Italy. 'Unexplained' somatic symptoms were evaluated using the 30-item Somatic Symptoms Checklist (SSCL-30). Somatic symptoms were considered explained if they were...