The Clinical journal of pain
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There is a lack of information about the precise strength of the relationship between chronic pain and depression. In a prior study, women with temporomandibular pain and dysfunction syndrome (TMPDS) had much higher scores than did controls on a measure of nonspecific psychological distress. The question arose as to whether rates of clinical depression are also unusually high in TMPDS patients. ⋯ A subset of those rated as likely depressed then had their diagnoses verified independently through a structured clinical interview by a psychiatrist and clinical psychologist. Results revealed a minimum lifetime prevalence rate for major depression of 41%. A rate of this magnitude in TMPDS cases is clearly much higher than would be found for women of similar background in the general population.
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Munchausen's syndrome is a popular name for a factitious disorder with physical symptoms. We have identified four Munchausen patients within a sample of 2,860 chronic pain patients for a frequency of 0.14%. These patients are described and an attempt is made to develop a profile of the Munchausen patient presenting with chronic pain.