Depression and chronic pain linked in Stanford study; may influence diagnosis and treatment
From Archives of General Psychiatry
Patients who present with a persistent, long-lasting headache or an endlessly painful back may have something more serious than a bad week at the office. A new study from the Archives of General Psychiatry finds that people who have major depression are more than twice as likely to have chronic pain when compared to people who have no symptoms of depression. This study could change how depression is diagnosed and treated. "This is potentially a really important finding," said Alan Schatzberg, MD, the Kenneth T. Norris Jr. Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, who participated in the study published. "This will change how we view pain and depression."
Schatzberg said previously published research hinted that people with depression may be more likely to experience chronic pain and that depressed people with chronic pain may respond better to a class of drugs that treats both symptoms. If the relationship exists, then pain may be a symptom that guides doctors to the drugs they prescribe for depressed patients.
Adapted from Eurekalert
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