A common depression screening tool works well for people with and without chronic pain. This finding challenges the idea that the tool might overstate depression in those with ongoing pain.
Some doctors and researchers thought the eight-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8) might give higher scores to people with chronic pain. This was because symptoms like trouble sleeping or fatigue are common in both pain and depression.
Clearing Up Misconceptions
Jennifer S. De La Rosa, a lead author of the study, explained this concern. She is a strategy director at the University of Arizona Comprehensive Center for Pain and Addiction. She also works as an assistant research professor at the U of A College of Medicine–Tucson.
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Start Your News DetoxDe La Rosa noted that it was a reasonable question whether pain symptoms could falsely raise depression scores. However, this had not been clearly answered until now.
Her team used national data from nearly 32,000 US adults. They looked at the 2019 National Health Interview Survey. They used advanced data science to check for bias in the PHQ-8 questionnaire.
The results showed that the screening tool was very consistent for both groups. It worked equally well for people with and without chronic pain.
Why This Matters for Care
De La Rosa stressed that doctors should know a positive depression screening is reliable for all patients. This includes those with chronic pain. She said doctors should offer mental health support to anyone who needs it.
She also highlighted the need for sensitive conversations. These talks should make patients feel supported, not judged.
Currently, many clinical trials for depression treatments exclude people with chronic pain. De La Rosa believes this study provides strong evidence to change that. Including people with chronic pain in these studies could help develop better treatments for this underserved group.
The Link Between Pain and Depression
The research confirmed that chronic pain and depression are closely connected. De La Rosa's earlier work found that one in five people with chronic pain also have depression. More than half of those with significant depression symptoms also experience chronic pain.
Another study showed that adults with chronic pain are more likely to have anxiety and depression. Yet, they get less mental health care and often have unmet mental health needs.
De La Rosa stated that people with chronic pain are often the ones with the most unmet mental health needs. They are also very common among those with treatment-resistant depression.
She added that many want to join trials and can benefit from them. Their inclusion would also make new therapies more effective in the real world.
De La Rosa urged a focus on the mental health needs of people with chronic pain. She called for prioritizing their outcomes in mental health research, policy, and advocacy.
In 2023, about 64 million US adults lived with chronic pain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Deep Dive & References
Depression screening tool works for people with chronic pain - Journal of Affective Disorders, 2024
