Pain as a symptom in depressive disorders. I. Relationship to diagnostic subgroup and depressive symptomatology

Abstract

The incidence of pain as a symptom in depressive disorders has been studied in a series of 161 depressed patients admitted to the Department of Psychiatry, Umeå University. 57% of the patients reported pain as a symptom. Female patients reported pain significantly more often than male patients and the patients with pain were found to be significantly older than those without. Despite the fact that patients with neurotic reactive depressions were significantly younger than the patients in the other diagnostic subgroups, they reported pain significantly more often than patients with other depressive disorders. Patients with pain were found to have significantly more muscular tension and more autonomic disturbances while no significant differences were found in items measuring sadness or inhibition-retardation.