Arthritis and rheumatism
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Mar 2000
The association between chronic widespread pain and mental disorder: a population-based study.
Patients with chronic widespread pain (CWP) have been reported to have a greater prevalence of mental disorders and somatization than that found in the general population, but the true association between CWP and mental disorders is unknown. In this study, we investigated whether there is an increased prevalence of mental disorder in people with CWP from the general population. We also describe the psychiatric diagnoses associated with CWP. ⋯ This study, although unable to demonstrate a cause-and-effect relationship, showed that 16.9% of those with CWP were estimated to have a psychiatric diagnosis, suggesting that these disorders should be identified and treated.