THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FIBROMYALGIA AND MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER

Is fibromyalgia associated with major depressive disorder? If so, what is the nature of this association? In an attempt to address these que stions, the authors review studies of patients with fibromyalgia, exam ining phenomenology, personal and family history of psychiatric and me dical disorders, response to antidepressant medications, and results o f laboratory tests. Although this evidence is not entirely consistent, the great majority of studies favor an association between fibromyalg ia and major depressive disorder. These findings cannot be explained b y the hypothesis that fibromyalgia causes depression or vice versa. Th erefore, it appears most likely that both disorders share some unknown common etiologic factor.