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Psychiatric Disorders and Functional Disability in Patients with Fibromyalgia

Year: 2000
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of current psychiatric disorders and functional disability among a sample of patients attending a fibromyalgia group clinic in the Rheumatology Department at Kaiser Permanente Colorado. METHODS: A sample of 184 patients, 92% of whom were women, were given questionnaires at the beginning of the group clinic. Questionnaires included items on demographics, work disability, and history of trauma and abuse. Also included were the following instruments: the Illness Intrusiveness Scale, the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, and the Quick Psychodiagnostics Panel. RESULTS: Most patients reported a history of trauma (74.7%) or abuse (53.5%). Major depression (34.2%), anxiety (29.9%), and panic disorders (17.4%) were prevalent in this sample. Symptoms of bipolar disorder were present in 59.2% of patients. In addition, a high level of psychiatric comorbidity was evident: 64.1% of the patients met DSM-IV criteria for two or more diagnoses. These patients also reported clinically significant functional impairment (especially in the life domains of active recreation, health, and work) and were most negatively affected by fatigue, lack of restfulness at waking, and stiffness. CONCLUSIONS: Baseline assessment of this patient sample confirmed clinicians’ suspicion of clinically significant psychiatric and functional disability and led to the addition of a clinical psychologist to the group clinic to target and intervene with patients who had psychiatric disorders. We conclude that treatment effectiveness for fibromyalgia can be enhanced by collaboration between rheumatologists and behavioral medicine specialists.
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2182383635
FWCI: 0.42
Cites: 19
Cited by: 4
Related to: 10