Somatic complaints -- harbinger of depression in primary care.

The pattern of patient visits and type of complaints relating to depressive illness was investigated in a University family practice clinic. Complaints and visits of depressives were compared to those made by age and sex-matched controls over 6 time periods which spanned a period of 2 years starting 6 months prior to the diagnosis of depression. Functional, pain, anxiety, and social complaints appeared to parallel the course of the depression, rising before the diagnosis of depression and returning to control levels 15-18 months after the depression was diagnosed. Somatic complaints were a prominent part of the depressive presentation.