Depression is a common condition with point prevalence among women between 5% and 9%. The relationship between depression and chronic pain has been well studied. Up to 66% of patients with depression have reported chronic pain. Whether depression precedes chronic pain or follows from it is still not well understood. Physical and sexual abuse against women and children is a common condition and affects up to 40% of women in some studies.

H.B. Goldstein and associates from Voorhess, New Jersey and Philadelphia evaluated the prevalence of depression, sexual abuse, and physical abuse among women diagnosed with Interstitial cystitis. One hundred forty-one subjects completed the validated Beck’s Depression Inventory II questionnaire and the validated Drossman Abuse questionnaire. Sixty-nine per-cent of subjects scored 14 or higher on the depression questionnaire corresponding to a clinical diagnosis of depression.

The mean score of the sample was 14.6, representing moderate depression. Of those that scored in the depression range (>14), the mean score was 22.4, in the moderate depression range. The US prevalence in the general population is 9% for depression. Childhood sexual abuse and physical abuse in BPS showed no difference from general population. However, the prevalence of sexual abuse from the validated questionnaires was 36%, significantly higher than general population estimates of 15%-25%.

The authors note that the scope of their study does not entail aspects that would be necessary to prove a causal relationship of their findings, nor did they include a contemporaneous control group. Nevertheless, the findings are very intriguing, and the authors suggest that all women, whether they have BPS or not, should be screened for abuse and depression, and those that screen positive should be referred for professional help.

Goldstein HB, Safaeian P, Garrod K, Finamore PS, Kellogg-Spadt S, Whitmore KE

Written by UroToday.com Contributing Editor Philip M. Hanno, MD, MPH

Source: UroToday