Psychological distress and help-seeking in patients with chronic pain

Background: High prevalence of psychiatric morbidity has been reported among patients with chronic pain. However, there were no such investigations in Taiwan as well as help-seeking behavior in chronic pain patients. Methods: One hundred patients with chronic nonmalignant pain over a period of six or more months were assessed systemically by a research psychiatrist and an anesthesiologist using structured interviews. Self-reported pain in patients was measured with the McGill Pain Questionnaire. Their help-seeking behavior was analyzed and compared with the psychiatric diagnoses. Results: Ninety-four percent of the subjects had at least one psychiatric diagnosis, and nearly three-quarters had depressive disorders. Pain was multifoci, mostly involving the head and neck areas. More than one-third of the patients attributed the cause of pain to both psychological distress and physical problems. Conclusions: Significantly high psychiatric morbidity was found in patients with chronic pain, predominantly depression, but very few had sought psychiatric consultation. Psychiatric intervention is therefore necessary for effective chronic pain management.