Target Women's Depression To Reduce Disability From Chronic Conditions, Suggests

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Target Women's Depression To Reduce Disability From Chronic

Conditions, Suggests Study

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=45351

Women with higher levels of depression when suffering with long-term

pain report greater disability than men in the same situation,

according to new research published in the latest edition of the

European Journal of Pain.

This suggests that by targeting their depression, doctors could help

reduce disability in female patients with chronic conditions such as

arthritis and back pain.

The study, which involved 260 chronic pain patients from Royal

National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases (RNHRD), builds on growing

evidence that " psychosocial " factors can have an effect on a person's

health and behavior.

" It is now accepted that pain is more than just a sensory experience,

and that factors like a person's gender, their emotional condition or

their interactions with others, can contribute to their pain

experiences, " said Dr. Ed Keogh from the Pain Management Unit at the

University of Bath and RNHRD.

" This research shows that pain-related emotions are associated with

pain-related behaviour, such as the number of visits to the GP, the

number of medications taken, the amount of sleep lost, and

disability, but it also highlights a significant discrepancy between

the behaviours of men and women.

" For women in particular, targeting depression may help reduce

disability associated with chronic pain. "

Women are already known to report higher levels of depression than

men, and are generally found to report greater levels of pain, with

greater frequency and greater intensity when compared to men.

Evidence is emerging that suggests men and women also respond

differently to the drugs and other treatments, such as psychology-

based interventions, used to treat pain.

" We found that within men with chronic pain, higher levels of

depression were related to a greater of number of medications being

used than women, " said Dr. Keogh.

" Why this should be is not clear, but the social gender roles we

adopt throughout our lives may have some important part to play.

" Alongside drugs, other therapies that focus on the behaviours and

tendencies associated with depression, such as avoidance and

withdrawal, may also be effective in these situations for some

people. "

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The article is available online at:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpain.2005.05.007