Depression
Commonly Mistaken For Fibromyalgia Or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
A wide variety of chronic disorders of suspected neurological causes
such as Fibromyalgia (FMS) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFIDS) involve
the existence of symptoms such as sadness, fatigue, anxiety and
confusion, symptoms that generally occur in patients with various types
of
depression.
However, after conducting a series of medical investigations,
scientists have revealed the fact that lots of patients with clear
signs of various types of
depression
have been misdiagnosed with
fibromyalgia or chronic
fatigue syndrome over the last few years, even if they showed no other
symptoms characteristic to the mentioned syndromes. Medical scientists
explain that due to poor understanding of fibromyalgia and chronic
fatigue syndrome, the risk of confusing FMS and CFIDS with various
types of
depression
and other treatable psychological conditions (which rarely involve
symptoms similar to FMS and CFIDS – generalized fatigue, intense,
recurrent muscular pain, joint rigidity) is very high.
By revealing the fact that most patients with various types of
depression are still
inappropriately diagnosed with fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue
syndrome, the recent medical research has suggested that the incidence
of FMS and CFIDS may actually be lower than previously thought. Today’s
overwhelming number of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome cases
registered especially in the female population may be inaccurate,
researchers suspecting that the number of such cases is in fact
considerably lower.
Medical scientists state that most cases of misdiagnosed
depression
occur due to imprecise criteria of diagnosing neuropsychological
disorders. According to neurologists and psychiatrists, the symptoms of
various types of
depression can
resemble the clinical manifestations of
fibromyalgia or
chronic fatigue syndrome. Such symptoms comprise fatigue and states of
muscular weakness, with the difference that in patients with FMS and
CFIDS they occur purely due to neurological causes, while in patients
with various types of
depression the
symptoms are self-induced. In
fact, neurologists
and psychiatrists claim that fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and
various types of
depression are
somehow related. They inform that
although patients with various types of
depression
rarely develop
fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome,
patients with FMS or CFIDS can eventually be faced with various types
of
depression.
In order to reduce the number of future cases of misdiagnosed
depression, medical
scientists have come up with more elaborate
criteria of diagnosis. In the absence of major FMS or CFIDS indicators
and with conclusive evidence of the presence of the following signs in
patients, medical scientists believe that various types of
depression
can be timely and
accurately diagnosed. The specific criteria that should be used to
diagnose various types of
depression
include: indisposition and
depressed moods, loss of
interest in hobbies, feelings of guilt and worthlessness, decreased
concentration and rational judgment, fatigue, changes in sleep patterns
(decreased or increased sleep), unexpected changes in body weight
(unintentional weight gain or loss), suicidal thoughts.
The existence of such manifestations points to various types of
depression when the
symptoms are not caused by medications or existing mental illnesses and
their occurrence isn’t linked with a recent tragic event (death of a
loved one). If patients also experience muscular pain, on-going state
of
fatigue and joint stiffness, but the symptoms are of psychological
nature (they are self-induced, having no concrete medical background),
then the existence of fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome can be
excluded.
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