Forum for Science, Industry and Business
Sponsored by:     Siemens  n-tv 
Search our Site:

Topic (optional):

 

Home Reports Social Sciences Content

Pain may interfere with depression improvement

next article
29.01.2004

 


Treatment for depression may be stymied in people with moderate to severe body pain, according to a new study.


Researchers Matthew J. Bair, M.D., formerly of the Regenstrief Institute, and colleagues uncovered the connection by analyzing the results of a clinical trial of 573 depression patients taking medications like Prozac, Paxil or Zoloft. Their findings are published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

Although depression improved in most of the patients after three months of drug therapy, 24 percent had persistently high depression scores. The therapy was most likely to fail among those who reported moderate to severe pain at the beginning of their treatment.

“In particular, the odds of a poor depression treatment response were twice as high in patients with moderate pain at baseline and three to four times as high in those with severe pain,” Bair says.

Factors like pain may help explain why antidepressants have a mixed record of success, Bair says. Between 50 and 70 percent of depressed patients find only partial relief with their medications.

Researchers have long known that pain and depression often go hand in hand, but there are few studies of how pain might affect depression treatment. In the Bair study, more than two-thirds of the patients reported some degree of pain at the start of their treatment. Twenty-five percent said their pain was mild, 30 percent had moderate pain and 14 percent said they had severe pain.

“We believe a treatment model that incorporates assessment and treatment of both depression and pain is desirable,” Bair says.

The study was supported by the Health Resources and Service Administration and Eli Lilly and Co.



Health Behavior News Service: (202) 387-2829 or www.hbns.org.
Interviews: Contact Matthew Bair at mbair@iupui.edu.
Psychosomatic Medicine: Contact Victoria White at (352) 376-1611, ext. 5300, or psychosomatic@medicine.ufl.edu. Online, visit www.psychosomaticmedicine.org.

Becky Ham | Source: Health Behavior News Service
Further information: www.hbns.org/news/pain01-28-04.cfm

next article

More articles from Social Sciences:

nachricht How conversation works in a hostage drama
20.11.2009 | Schwedischer Forschungsrat - The Swedish Research Council

nachricht Clinton, new research center calls for more jobs for disabled
06.11.2009 | Universität St. Gallen

All articles from Social Sciences >>>

B2B Search

Product / Service
Company / Organisation

Latest News

Scientists Unravel Evolution of Highly Toxic Box Jellyfish

20.11.2009 | Life Sciences

When good companies do bad things: Examining illegal corporate behavior

20.11.2009 | Business and Finance

UCR plant scientist's research spawns new discoveries showing how crops survive drought

20.11.2009 | Agricultural and Forestry Science

VideoLinks

Event News

Multidisciplinary meeting on Urological Cancers aims to benefit cancer patients

20.11.2009 | Event News

'Golden Age' for clinical psychology in Northern Ireland

20.11.2009 | Event News

New Perspectives in Marine Anti-Fouling Research

11.11.2009 | Event News