Fibromyalgia from a psychiatric point of view

Abstract

Fibromyalgia is a disorder bordering on rheumatology and psychiatry, which was included in the ICD-10 (M79.7) classification in the 1990s. It is characterised by a triad of symptoms including chronic widespread pain, sleep disturbances, and mental or physical exhaustion. According to various estimates, fibromyalgia affects from 2 to 4% of the population, particularly individuals between 50 and 60 years of age. There is a lack of consistent data in the available literature on the prevalence of the disorder between sexes. Depending on the criteria used, the female/male ratio is reported to be 13.7:1, 4.8:1 or 2.3:1. Despite nearly three decades of fibromyalgia presence in the ICD classification system, the nature and treatment of the disease have not been sufficiently recognized and arouse a lively discussion among researchers of various medical specialties. The paper attempts to systematise selected issues related to fibromyalgia which seem particularly important from the point of view of psychiatry. The introduction presents the history of the debate on the concept of fibromyalgia, problems relating to the definition and classification of the condition and, finally, symptomatology. The article focuses on the psychiatric aspect of fibromyalgia and reviews reports of the association of fibromyalgia with mental disorders, as well as issues relating to pathophysiological and therapeutic concepts that may be useful to both psychiatrists and other specialists who may encounter the disorder in their practice.