Characteristics of Somatic Pain Among Patients with Psychiatric Disorders: A Case Series of 27 Patients

Introduction: Somatic pain and psychiatric disorders are closely interconnected in clinical practice. Chronic pain is frequently reported by patients with depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and somatic symptom disorder. However, local descriptive data on the semiological characteristics of somatic pain among psychiatric populations remain limited. Objective: To describe the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients receiving psychiatric care, as well as the characteristics of the somatic pain they report. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 27 patients who completed a self-administered electronic questionnaire. The questionnaire collected sociodemographic data, DSM-5 psychiatric diagnoses, current treatment, and pain characteristics, including location, duration, frequency, intensity assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), descriptors from the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), and functional impact. No comparative analyses or inferential statistical tests were performed. Only descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, and medians) are reported. Results: The mean age was 38.4 ± 10.8 years (median: 34 years; range: 22–60 years), and 81.5% of participants were women. Depression was the most common diagnosis (59.3%), followed by anxiety disorders (33.3%). Current somatic pain was reported by 23 patients (85.2%), most frequently involving the head (47.8%), with a duration exceeding six months (78.3%) and occurring daily (47.8%). The mean pain intensity on the VAS was 5.96 ± 1.82 (median: 6/10). The most frequently reported MPQ descriptors were pressing and throbbing (39.1% each). Pain moderately interfered with daily activities in 43.5% of patients experiencing pain. Only one participant (3.7%) engaged in regular physical activity. Conclusion: In this case series, somatic pain was a frequent, chronic, and functionally impairing complaint among psychiatric patients, predominantly women with depressive disorders. Although based on a small sample and limited to descriptive analyses, these findings highlight the importance of systematically assessing somatic pain in routine psychiatric practice.