Response to pharmacologic treatments may identify groups of disorders
with a common pathophysiology. The authors applied a treatment-response
model, based on four classes of antidepressants (tricyclic types, monoamine
oxidase inhibitors, serotonin uptake inhibitors, and atypical agents), to
the medical literature. The model identified eight disorders that may share
a pathophysiologic abnormality: major depression, bulimia, panic disorder,
obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention deficit disorder with
hyperactivity, cataplexy, migraine, and irritable bowel syndrome.
Phenomenologic and family studies support this grouping. If the model is
validated, this family of disorders, which the authors term "affective
spectrum disorder," would represent one of the most prevalent diseases in
the population.
Abstract Teaser