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This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

EV0840

Depression presenting with persistent cardiopulmonary symptoms: a psychosomatic case report

DEPRESSION PRESENTING WITH PERSISTENT CARDIOPULMONARY SYMPTOMS: A PSYCHOSOMATIC CASE REPORT

In a patient who underwent repeated investigations for unexplained respiratory and chest symptoms over the course of a year, recognition of the underlying depressive disorder and treatment with an SSRI led to improvements in both mood and physical symptoms.

The aim of this presentation is to demonstrate the importance of recognizing psychosomatic mechanisms to prevent unnecessary investigations prompted by physical symptoms that frequently accompany depressive disorders and can mimic medical conditions. The case concerns a 38-year-old woman with a previous diagnosis of a depressive disorder who underwent repeated assessments in pulmonology and cardiology departments over the course of a year because of persistent breathing difficulties, chest symptoms, and functional impairment. Despite extensive investigations and symptom-directed treatment, the diagnostic findings remained largely inconclusive and failed to explain the persistence of her complaints. Given the chronic course and the presence of affective symptoms, a psychosomatic contribution was suspected, and psychiatric reassessment confirmed clinically significant depressive symptoms. Treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) was initiated as part of a multidisciplinary approach; follow-up revealed gradual improvements in mood and daily functioning, along with reductions in the frequency and severity of physical symptoms. The case highlights the interplay between depressive disorders and presentations involving physical symptoms, as well as the potential for early psychiatric assessment to reduce unnecessary diagnostic procedures. The poster contains no quantitative measurements, scale scores, or statistical data.

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