Psychological aspects of fibromyalgia compared with chronic and nonchronic pain.

The description of psychological aspects of fibromyalgia are similar to those of other patients with chronic pain. Three groups, a chronic pain group (n = 99), a nonchronic pain group (n = 34) and a fibromyalgia group (n = 36) were compared, using a standardized interview and psychological questionnaires (SCL-90R, IBQ and CIPI). It appeared that the chronic pain group and the nonchronic pain group could be easily distinguished from each other with these variables. The scores of the fibromyalgia group and the chronic pain group were very similar. This leads to the conclusion that many psychological aspects of fibromyalgia can be considered as psychological aspects of chronic pain.