Comorbidity of Fibromyalgia and Mental Illness - Research Paper

Introduction

In the medical perspective, the term comorbidity refers to the existence of one or more diseases or disorders with tend to be concurrent with the primary disease or a disorder therein. Fibromyalgia refers to a prevalent disorder that creates complex and chronic musculoskeletal pain usually accompanied by various issues such as sleep, memory loss, fatigue, and moods problems among others (Aguglia, Salvi, Maina, Rossetto & Aguglia, 2011). The pain is widespread such that it may occur across the entire body or rather migrate to other parts of the body. Fibromyalgia disorder affects the muscles and the soft tissues in the body are creating the basis upon its tenderness to touch. The research by Heidari, Afshari & Moosazadeh, (2017), shows that Fibromyalgia intensifies the painful sensation s across the body by influencing the operation through which the brain processes the pain signals in the body. According to Bota, Fraser & Groysman, (2017), mental illness is also known as a mental disorder is defined as the behavioral or mental pattern that may lead to substantial distress or cause impairment on the general functioning of the individual therein. After the analysis of various researches on the disorder, it is evident that there is no any particular cure for Fibromyalgia. Nonetheless, by engaging in a variety of medications from the physician, it can help the patients to control the developing symptoms. Further, engaging in thorough exercise, relaxation activities, and other measures relevant to reducing stress can also help in mitigating the symptoms. Recurrent episodes of persistent relapsing and settling may characterize mental illness, or it may happen as one episode. In this case, therefore, the paper aims at giving an in-depth analysis of the comorbidity of both Fibromyalgia and mental illness.

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Overview of Fibromyalgia

As discussed above, Fibromyalgia is entailed widespread pain in the muscles and across the entire body. While some patients who have Fibromyalgia accumulate symptoms gradually without any even triggering the onset of the disease, other occurs as a result of events such as surgery, substantial psychological stress, physical trauma, or any other infections therein. Furthermore, Stubbs, (2016), asserts that women have a high tendency to develop Fibromyalgia as compared to the male counterparts. A significant percentage of the people with Fibromyalgia also tend to face tension headaches, anxiety, depression, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, or an irritable bowel syndrome. The primary symptoms of Fibromyalgia include tiredness, widespread pain, and cognitive challenges. In the fatigue symptom, people with Fibromyalgia often wake up feeling tired despite having slept for longer periods. In most of the times, pain may occur during sleep and thus causing a disruption. The research by Stubbs, (2016), also shows that patients with Fibromyalgia also develop other sleeping disorders such as sleep apnea and the restless legs syndrome. In the widespread pain symptom, people with Fibromyalgia often suffer a dull and a constant ache that may last three or more months. Nevertheless, for the pain to be considered as widespread, it must happen in the entire body including all sides of the body and the area below and above the waist. In the cognitive difficulties symptom is commonly known as 'fibro fog,' the patient has an impaired ability to focus, to concentrate, or even pay attention to any particular mental tasks.

There is no any definite cause of Fibromyalgia, but various researchers suggest a variety of aspects that operate in unison and thus lead to the development of this chronic illness. For instance, Fibromyalgia can be as a result of genetic factors. More often, the cases of Fibromyalgia appears to run in families. As a result, it shows that certain genetic characteristics make individually vulnerable to develop this disorder. Also, some infections such as Mycoplasma incognitos and Chlamydia pneumonia can trigger the onset of Fibromyalgia in patients. Sometimes, aspects such as physical and emotional trauma can also trigger the development of Fibromyalgia. It entails experiences such as physical trauma, a car accident, or psychological stress. The research by Nugraha, (2013), connotes that widespread paid across the body characterizes the disorder. This pain occurs as a result of the repetitive nerve stimulation that creates constant changes in the brain of the people with Fibromyalgia. The change in the brain entails an abnormal increase in the level of neurotransmitters. Ideally, neurotransmitters refer to the chemicals in the brain that is responsible for the transmission of the pain signals. Consequently, the changes also make the pain receptors in the brain to develop a kind of memory to pain and thus become highly sensitive. The high sensitivity thus creates an overreaction to any pain signals in the body.

Overview of Mental Illness

While the definite cause of mental illness commonly known as psychiatric disorders is not established, various theories explain the disorder. The findings show that a mental illness emanates from the behaviors, thinking, perceptions, and how the person feels (Bota, Fraser & Groysman, 2017). Nevertheless, these aspects are associated with particular contexts in the brain majorly regarding the social aspect. A mental illness consists of a range of disorders including bipolar, anxiety disorder, dementia, clinical depression, autism, and schizophrenia among others. While it is common to have mental health problems, a mental health problem becomes a mental illness when the symptoms become persistent and further cause extreme stress that impact the functionality of the person therein. The symptoms of mental illness often overlap making it difficult to diagnose a specific disorder. In this case, the symptoms of mental illness may vary depending on the disorder (Kudlow, Rosenblat, Weissman, Cha, Kakar, McIntyre, & Sharma, 2015). However, there are common symptoms including addiction to drug abuse, hallucinations, extreme mode fluctuations, confusion in thinking, inability to concentrate, high levels of fears and worries, lack of understanding, fatigue, detachment from friends and relatives, and the inability to control challenging or stressful situations. Some of the symptoms of mental illness may occur as normal physical concerns such as a headache, stomachache, or back pain. For this reason, when such signs persist, it is essential to seek the help of a doctor.

Over the decades, the cases of mental illnesses are becoming prevalent. The research findings show that the disorder occurs as a result of a wide range of causes including the genetic and environmental factors. For instance, mental illness can be inherited from the family members. There is a tendency that people who have relatives with mental illness will develop the disorder. It is associated with the facts that some gene composition increases the probability of developing the disorder (Arnold, Hudson, Keck, Auchenbach, Javaras, & Hess, 2006). More often, aspects such as the lifestyle can trigger the onset of the disorder. In other cases, the environmental factors can influence the risk of developing a mental disorder. When a child is exposed to extreme environmental stressors such as toxin, alcohol, or other drugs before birth, there is a risk that they will develop mental illness in the future.

Comorbidity of Fibromyalgia and Mental Illness

Based on the discussion above, there is a tendency that the patients are suffering from Fibromyalgia exhibit a mental illness at a certain point of life. Furthermore, people with Fibromyalgia are often diagnosed with mental illness disorders such as anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, and frequent migraines (Buskila & Cohen, 2007). In this case, therefore, there is a shared pathophysiological link with the anxiety disorders and the behaviors of a person. For this reason, it is recommendable to frequently evaluate the presence of mental disorders comorbidity in patients who have Fibromyalgia. The signs and symptoms of both the mental disorders and Fibromyalgia are similar, and the causes of these diseases are also linked. In this case, the symptoms may overlap making it difficult to rule out the specific disease the patient is suffering. While sometimes the patient exhibiting the symptoms may be having either of the disorders, they may also have both Fibromyalgia and a mental disorder as well. The study by Arnold et al., (2006), shows that there is a higher tendency that a patient who has Fibromyalgia may also be having a mental disorder. Kudlow et al., (2015), further suggest that patients with Fibromyalgia are often diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorders. Ideally, the aspects of depressive disorders and anxiety are the common comorbid mental illnesses exhibited by patients with Fibromyalgia.

Research Gaps

Following the prevalence of Fibromyalgia and comorbid psychiatric disorders, it is essential to establish corrective measures. One of the research gaps in the study is that there lack sufficient literature on the definite causes of both Fibromyalgia and mental disorders. The literature available relies on various theories that create insight into the possible cause of the illnesses. Additionally, there is no sufficient literature on the possible treatment procedures to cure Fibromyalgia. Rather, the studies suggest various medication and physical therapeutic procedures that are significant in controlling the developing symptoms.

References

Aguglia, A., Salvi, V., Maina, G., Rossetto, I., & Aguglia, E. (2011). Fibromyalgia syndrome and depressive symptoms: Comorbidity and clinical correlates. Journal Of Affective Disorders, 128(3), 262-266. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2010.07.004

Arnold, L., Hudson, J., Keck, P., Auchenbach, M., Javaras, K., & Hess, E. (2006). Comorbidity of Fibromyalgia and Psychiatric Disorders. The Journal Of Clinical Psychiatry, 67(08), 1219-1225. doi: 10.4088/jcp.v67n0807

Bota, P., Fraser, S., & Groysman, R. (2017). Beyond schizophrenia: living and working with a serious mental illness. Mental Illness, 9(1). doi: 10.4081/mi.2017.6782

Buskila, D., & Cohen, H. (2007). Comorbidity of fibromyalgia and psychiatric disorders. Current Pain And Headache Reports, 11(5), 333-338. doi: 10.1007/s11916-007-0214-4

Heidari, F., Afshari, M., & Moosazadeh, M. (2017). Prevalence of fibromyalgia in general population and patients, a systematic review and meta-analysis. Rheumatology International, 37(9), 1527-1539. doi: 10.1007/s00296-017-3725-2

Kudlow, P., Rosenblat, J., Weissman, C., Cha, D., Kakar, R., McIntyre, R., & Sharma, V. (2015). Prevalence of fibromyalgia and co-morbid bipolar disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal Of Affective Disorders, 188, 134-142. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2015.08.030

Nugraha. (2013). Depressive Symptoms, Exercise, and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Mini Review. Journal Of Autoimmune Diseases And Rheumatology. doi: 10.12970/2310-9874.2013.01.01.4

Stubbs, B. (2016). A random effects meta-analysis investigating the prevalence of bipolar disorder in people with fibromyalgia: An updated analysis. Journal Of Affective Disorders, 191, 308-309. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2015.12.006