Psychosomatic medicine
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Psychosomatic medicine · Jan 2005
Comparative StudyFibromyalgia: evidence for deficits in positive affect regulation.
Fibromyalgia (FMS) is characterized by chronic pain, high psychiatric comorbidity, and the absence of observable pathology. Our objective was to examine positive and negative affective indices, both at the trait and contextual levels, in FMS compared with a chronic pain control group, osteoarthritis (OA). ⋯ Despite the predominance of literature focusing on psychologic disturbance in FMS, these analyses identified dysfunctional positive affect regulation as a key feature of FMS. FMS status was uniquely characterized by lower levels of positive affect, especially during stressful weeks. These findings challenge current conceptualizations of FMS and point to new directions for interventions that focus on improving positive affective resources, especially during times of stress.
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Psychosomatic medicine · Jan 2005
Comparative StudyAbnormality in the self-monitoring mechanism in patients with fibromyalgia and somatoform pain disorder.
Auditory hallucinations and passivity experiences are associated with an abnormality in the self-monitoring mechanism that normally allows us to distinguish self-produced from externally produced sensations. It is unclear if chronic central pain disorders such as fibromyalgia and somatoform pain disorders also involve a defect of the self-monitoring mechanism. ⋯ We conclude that central pain disorders such as fibromyalgia and somatoform pain disorders interfere with the correct functioning of the self-monitoring mechanism that normally allows us to distinguish self-produced from externally produced tactile stimuli.
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Psychosomatic medicine · Jan 2005
Comparative StudyExploration of DSM-IV criteria in primary care patients with medically unexplained symptoms.
Investigators and clinicians almost always rely on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, 4th edition's (DSM-IV) somatoform disorders (and its derivative diagnoses) to characterize and identify patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS). Our objective was to evaluate this use by determining the prevalence of DSM-IV somatoform and nonsomatoform disorders in patients with MUS proven by a gold standard chart review. ⋯ We concluded that depression and anxiety characterized MUS patients better than the somatoform disorders. Our data suggested radically revising the somatoform disorders for DSM-V by incorporating a new, very large group of now-overlooked DSM somatoform-negative patients who were typically women with less severe dysfunction.
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Psychosomatic medicine · Jan 2005
Comparative StudyThe effect of sunlight on postoperative analgesic medication use: a prospective study of patients undergoing spinal surgery.
Exposure to natural sunlight has been associated with improvement in mood, reduced mortality among patients with cancer, and reduced length of hospitalization for patients who have experienced myocardial infarction. Our aim was to evaluate whether the amount of sunlight in a hospital room modifies a patient's psychosocial health, the quantity of analgesic medication used, and the pain medication cost. ⋯ The exposure postoperatively of patients who have undergone spinal surgery to increased amounts of natural sunlight during their hospital recovery period may result in decreased stress, pain, analgesic medication use, and pain medication costs.