What are the psychological problems associated with fibromyalgia?

The main psychopathological alterations related to suffering from fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is an ailment that affects thousands of people, causing a series of pains to sufferers.It causes a series of pains to the people who suffer from it.

However, although we tend to focus on the physical symptoms, we should not forget the psychological problems that this disease can trigger. Therefore, in this article we will review some of the most common psychological sequelae. the most common psychological sequelae of fibromyalgia, according to studies.according to the studies carried out on the matter.

What is fibromyalgia?

In order to talk about the possible psychological problems associated with fibromyalgia, we first need to know more about the fibromyalgia disease itself, knowing what it consists of and what is the most common symptomatology in those who suffer from this condition.

Fibromyalgia is a pathology whose main characteristic is the musculoskeletal Pain of the patients, being able to be located in very diverse zones of the body, ranging from the chest and the back to the arms or the legs.. Stimuli in the affected parts are perceived as much more painful than usual. Subjects may also feel extreme fatigue and may not rest when they sleep.

The main problem with fibromyalgia is that the factors that cause it are not fully understood. A few decades ago, this disease was considered to be a somatic disease, but this conception has changed, and in fact it has been considered a physical disease by the WHO since 1992. It is important to know this information before addressing the psychological problems associated with fibromyalgia.

The authorities consider that the origin of this pathology could be neurological, and would be imbalances at the neurochemical level triggered in the central nervous system that would be causing the sensation of pain, which would result in hyperalgesia. which would translate into hyperalgesia and allodynia.

Another problem with this ailment is that there is no cure that works for all patients. Therefore, treatments are designed to reduce the symptomatology in order to reduce the sensation of pain, but also the psychological problems associated with fibromyalgia.

Some studies suggest the possibility of a relationship between this disease and an intolerance to gluten in people who suffer from it. This connection arises when observing a certain improvement in patients after following a diet that does not contain cereals with this type of protein (mainly wheat, but also oats, barley or rye).

Main psychological problems linked to fibromyalgia

We have already delved into the implications of this disease and its main symptomatology at the physical level, so we have the necessary basis to explore the main psychological problems associated with fibromyalgia. And it is that this disease not only leaves an imprint on physical health, but also that the suffering of chronic pain can also affect mental health..

The characteristics of fibromyalgia generate a dent in the mood of the subject. It is not only the condition of pain, sometimes irreversible, that these people suffer. It is also influenced by the fact of not finding an explanation, of not having diagnostic tests that objectively show what they are feeling, and even the feeling of being questioned.

To this must be added the fact that almost 90% of patients with this disease report sleeping poorly and therefore do not have a restful sleep, which ends up by breaking down their immune system.which in the end leads to a breakdown in their health. For all these reasons, it is not at all strange that these patients experience signs of such common psychological ailments as anxiety and depression.

Below we will focus on some of these diagnoses, separately, to understand their complexity.

Fibromyalgia and depression

Fibromyalgia patients who develop depression often show symptoms at different levels. At the affective level, the most evident of all, the person will be sad, with feelings of hopelessness towards his condition, towards everything around him and even towards future prospects. This is one of the psychological problems associated with fibromyalgia.

Another level is the cognitive level, that is to say, that of thoughts. These can be affected by, for example, so-called bradypsychia, i.e. so-called bradypsychia, which consists of a slower than normal rate of thought.. Likewise, these will be of negative character, highlighting the ruminations towards all the factors that concern the subject, generally around his condition of fibromyalgia sufferer.

Symptoms of depression can be experienced at a physical level, such as asthenia, digestive transit alterations, loss of sexual desire, difficulties in balance, or disruption of circadian rhythms, among others. The difficulty that arises around these symptoms is to assign them the origin, since they can be originated by the depressive state or by the subject's own fibromyalgia.

The last level of symptoms is the behavioral one. Psychomotor coordination may be altered, constant crying may be experienced, performance in different tasks may have declined, and, in very extreme cases, even though the symptoms are very extreme, they are not always the same. and, in very extreme but rare cases, patients may make self-harming attempts.

Fibromyalgia and anxiety

Continuing with the issue of psychological problems associated with fibromyalgia, we will now focus on anxiety and its main characteristics when this psychopathology appears in patients suffering from the ailment that concerns us.

Anxiety in people suffering from fibromyalgia can make its appearance through disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder or panic attacks.. Anxiety crises can occur frequently in these patients, spontaneously, in a short period of time and with abrupt onset.

Anxiety, both within the psychological problems associated with fibromyalgia and in general, involves a series of symptoms at the psychological but also physical level. Psychologically, the subject may experience a feeling of fear, almost terror, while physically he/she will feel an acceleration of the pulse, breathing difficulties, abdominal pressure, tremors, sweating and even shivering.

Although we can all experience a feeling of anxiety at a certain time in our lives, the fact that these feelings appear frequently, intensely and randomly, making us lose our ability to adapt, is what makes it pathological.

If living with a chronic pain disease already presents enormous difficulties, the fact of adding the psychological problems associated with fibromyalgia makes it even more complicated. And the matter does not end there, since almost half of the patients who suffer from anxiety also show depressive symptoms, which complicates the situation for them..

Treatment for psychological problems associated with fibromyalgia.

We have already seen some examples of the psychological problems associated with fibromyalgia that occur with greater frequency. Knowing these cases, it is not surprising that part of the treatment of fibromyalgia is aimed at healing, not only the physical pain, but also the psychological pain, which also generates suffering in these people.

Psychological damage has a double risk, because it causes suffering in itself, but it can also contribute to perceive physical damage as more intense, because the person is losing resources with which to cope with the pain he or she is feeling. Therefore, it is essential to act on the psychopathology, it is therefore essential to act on the associated psychopathology in order to free him/her as far as possible from additional suffering..

By acting at the psychological level, great improvements can be achieved in the mood of the subject, reducing both anxious and depressive symptoms. This process will have a direct impact on the way in which the person lives and accepts his disease, fibromyalgia, thus achieving greater tolerance to pain, with which he must live.

It is also important to bear in mind that these are not only mental factors, since anxiety generates muscular tension which, for a disorder such as fibromyalgia, is fatal, as it only increases the damage that the person is experiencing, which in turn increases anxiety.

As we can see, it is a vicious circle that feeds back on itself and can in turn increase the symptoms of depression.. Therefore, acting on the psychological problems associated with fibromyalgia is vital to achieve an improvement in the quality of life of these patients.

In conclusion, we have been able to see that fibromyalgia is a disorder that affects people who suffer from it in an integral way, as they have to live with the prospect of always feeling pain. The psychological consequences of this phenomenon are inevitable, and will be more or less profound depending on the characteristics of the person.

But any help they may receive in this regard will have an impact on their state of health, both mental and physical.

Bibliographical references:

• Camino Vallhonrat, A., Jiménez Rico, B., de Castro-Palomino i Serra, M., Fábregas, M. (2009). Anger, fibromyalgia and anxiety: therapeutic approach from a CSM. Journal of the Spanish Pain Society. SciELO Spain.
• Máñez, I., Fenollosa, P., Martínez-Azucena, A., Salazar, A. (2005). Sleep quality, pain and depression in fibromyalgia. Journal of the Spanish Pain Society. SciELO Spain.
• Pérez-Pareja, J., Borrás, C., Palmer, A., Sesé, A., Molina, F., Gonzalvo, J. (2004). Fibromyalgia and negative emotions. Psicothema.
• Revuelta Evrard, E., Segura Escobar, E., Paulino Tevar, J. (2010). Depression, anxiety and fibromyalgia. Journal of the Spanish Pain Society. SciELO Spain.