Indeed, in key respects depression is comparable to Cushing's disease, a disorder cause by excessive production of cortisol. The elevated cortisol in Cushing's patients is higher than that found in major depression, but the psychiatric and somatic features of Cushing's disease are strikingly similar: melancholia, depression, abdominal obesity, bone mineral loss, and increased risk for cardiovascular disease, along with shrinkage of the hippocampus and memory impairment.