title: Psychiatric comorbidities in a community sample of women with fibromyalgia.
abstract: Prior studies of careseeking fibromyalgia (FM) patients often report that they have an elevated risk of psychiatric disorders, but biased sampling may distort true risk. The current investigation utilizes state-of-the-art diagnostic procedures for both FM and psychiatric disorders to estimate prevalence rates of FM and the comorbidity of FM and specific psychiatric disorders in a diverse community sample of women. Participants were screened by telephone for FM and MDD, by randomly selecting telephone numbers from a list of households with women in the NY/NJ metropolitan area. Eligible women were invited to complete physical examinations for FM and clinician-administered psychiatric interviews. Data were weighted to adjust for sampling procedures and population demographics. The estimated overall prevalence of FM among women in the NY/NJ metropolitan area was 3.7% (95% CI=3.2, 4.4), with higher rates among racial minorities. Although risk of current MDD was nearly 3-fold higher in community women with than without FM, the groups had similar risk of lifetime MDD. Risk of lifetime anxiety disorders, particularly obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, was approximately 5-fold higher among women with FM. Overall, this study found a community prevalence for FM among women that replicates prior North American studies, and revealed that FM may be even more prevalent among racial minority women. These community-based data also indicate that the relationship between MDD and FM may be more complicated than previously thought, and call for an increased focus on anxiety disorders in FM.
authors.affiliation: University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Newark, NJ 07103, USA. raphaekg@umdnj.edu
authors.forename: Karen G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Raphael
authors.forename: Malvin N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Janal
authors.forename: Sangeetha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nayak
authors.forename: Joseph E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: Rollin M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Gallagher
mesh_terms: D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012111:Residence Characteristics