Prevalence of Depression in Patients with Chronic Pain

Background: Chronic pain is a distressing health crisis with a profound physical and emotional impacts. There is an association between chronic pain and depression. This study aimed at examining prevalence of depression in patients with chronic pain and determining the link between medications used in chronic pain and depression. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 201 participants who fit the criteria of chronic pain and attended the pain management clinic, Salmaniya Medical Complex, Bahrain over a period of five months were included. Data about depression was collected from participants using validated Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Results: The prevalence of 44.3% of depression was detected in patients with chronic pain. Males to females represented a proportion of 49.3% vs 50.7%, majority of them had sickle cell disease (74.1%). Bivariate analysis expressed that none of the examined variables was significantly different among depressed and non-depressed patients (P>0.05). Univariate analysis found that increased age, male patients, and absence of limitation in daily activity were less prone to severe depression, however, opioid-treated patients, and rarely or intermittently drug intake are more liable to increased depression severity (P<0.05). Conclusions: Adult patients with chronic pain treated at specialty pain clinics were observed to have high levels of depression, with a negative association between the opioids use and depression. Thus, the recognition of the psychological burden of chronic pain emphasizes the necessity of taking action. Reducing the burden of chronic pain on healthcare systems and enhancing patient health and function are two benefits of effective depression treatment.