L'insaisissable fibromyalgie

Abstract

Fibromyalgia is a complex disease, in many ways, mysterious in origin, a supposed descendant of neurasthenia; its astonishing frequency and the absence of element of identification are a paradox. Invisible by nature, and incurable, it is still unexplained just like any other chronic pain syndrome, which is similar to chronic fatigue syndrome. A review of the literature confirms that fibromyalgia is a broad and undefined area, that it is controversial, relatively “mythified” by ordinary people. The definition of this disease is still incomplete and does not include all of those suffering from it with an « illness » component. The terminologies are not fixed neigther is the pathogenic hypothesis, particulary a neuro-psycho-endocrinien causalism which is being studied. As it is not recognized as a psychogenic affection, it is denied by the psychiatrist in spite of its proximity to psycho-somatic disturbances. An increase in this disease, qualified as « news », especially in the industrialized countries, is confronted with medical research and contemporary medicine, heavily based on ontology, contrary to the activism of defense groups and the media. The current debate gets lost in technology limited to an ontological standardization or in rupture with a search for the sense or the meaning of the illness. The financial recognition of this serious illness is not taken into account in France because of the indefine nature of the condition. Fibromyalgia stays in the lot of multiform disorders, subjective, in the margin of biomedical standards, or official classifications; this disorder could represent a form of a defense mecanism as was hysteria at the beginning of the century. It strikes the pauper, confonted with modern violence, even post-modern, since from this point of view, modernity has not limits...