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Eight of twenty-one patients presenting for treatment in an open trial of brief psychodynamic psychotherapy for panic disorder also carried the diagnosis of major depression. For the patients who completed the study, depression remitted as well as panic disorder. The authors highlight psychodynamic factors that they hypothesize may contribute to the significant overlap between panic disorder and depression, and describe three videotaped cases to illustrate these points.

The case of an acutely depressed 34 year old man with a history of systemic sarcoidosis is presented with the question of the psychiatric manifestations of sarcoidosis in mind. The literature on Central Nervous System Sarcoidosis is reviewed and the possibility that this condition may present with psychiatric symptomatology is raised. An emphasis is placed on maintaining a high index of suspicion regarding organic factors in cases such as this, particularly in the setting of a complex, multi-system disease such as sarcoidosis.