Stress, medical illness, and depression.

In this review, we present potential pathways through which medical illness may act as a stress-related catalyst of major depression. We will consider available evidence and discuss biological, psychological, and psychosocial theories, individually and in their interplay, in an attempt to better understand the potential roles of stress in mediating the relationships between medical illness and mood disorder. We will use the specific example of major depression occurring after acute myocardial infarction to illustrate the application of our theoretical framework.