[Are patients with glossodynia unremarkable? A hard-to-grasp psychodiagnostic disease].
BACKGROUND
Idiopathic glossodynia is generally considered a disease with profound psychical involvement. Nevertheless, psychodiagnostic studies on this disease have been rare. The patients usually have low emotional self-reference, are focused on their physical complaints and refuse a psychosomatic attribute. Therefore, the doctor-patient relationship is often complicated, which impedes the initiation of an adequate therapy.


METHODS
Seventeen patients diagnosed to have glossodynia or orofascial pain syndrome were examined within the psychosomatic consultation-liaison service of two dermatological hospitals. The Coping with Skin Disease Questionnaire (CSD) and the Symptom Check List (SCL-90R) were used as test inventory. Patients with glossodynia were compared with other dermatological patients in the consultation-liaison service (n = 356) and with the standard random sample of the SCL-90R.


RESULTS
By comparing the test inventories it was found that glossodynia patients appeared particularly "inconspicious" on nearly all dimensions. Compared with the standard random sample of the SCL-90R (n = 1006) higher values were only observed for the scores "somatization" and "anxiety".


CONCLUSIONS
Based on the two psychological test inventories, no indication of depression was found, which is often suspected in glossodynia patients. It appears that psychosomatic (accompanying) symptoms in these individuals are not sufficiently assessed by many psychological test instruments.
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D005260:Female; D005926:Glossalgia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009209:Myofascial Pain Syndromes / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D011581:Psychological Tests
Sind Patienten mit Glossodynie psychisch unauffällig? - Eine psychodiagnostisch schwer fassbare Erkrankung.