Increased physical co-morbidity in depressive individuals is a clinical reality often confronted by clinical practician. Frequently, there are no evidence for a linear connection between severity symptoms of depression and the physical co-morbidity levels. Despite this, the causality of high physical co-morbidity remains an important challenge that continues to concern researchers and clinicians.

We performed a cross-over study, on 45 subjects admitted in our Clinic for unipolar depression. After, collecting socio-demographic and clinical data, we administered COPE scale (Coping Orientations to Problem Experience) to identify he profile of coping styles and Karolinska Scales of Personality for a dimensional assessment of personality traits. All data were statistical analyzed.

In our sample we found highly statistical prevalences for physical disease, especially for cardiovascular disease, comparatively with prevalence data coming from National Health System. The cardiovascular disease was correlated with impulsiveness (p=0,056) and aggressiveness (p=0,202) Karolinska scales, but the scores remains as trends that possibly became statistical significant in larger samples. Also, regarding coping styles, those having cardiovascular disease showed statistical significant high levels of acceptance (p=0,034) and psychoactive substance (p=0,038) use in COPE scales.

We consider that personality and coping styles aspects could explain the high clinical association of unipolar depression with physical disease, in general, and with cardiovascular co-morbidity especially rather than clinical and demographical data. We must take into account this results in our therapeutically approach, giving the sense for psychotherapeutically efforts in this cases.