The following is a summary of “Fibromyalgia in patients with non-psychotic mental disorders: Prevalence, associated factors and validation of a brief screening instrument,” published in the September 2024 issue of Pain by Zinchuk et al.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain condition linked to distress and mental health problems. Studies suggest a higher risk of FM in individuals with mental disorders.

Researchers conducted a study to examine the prevalence of FM in patients with non-psychotic mental disorders and assess the psychometric properties of the Fibromyalgia Rapid Screening Tool (FiRST) in a Russian-speaking population.

They evaluated consecutive inpatients with non-psychotic mental disorders admitted to the Moscow Research and Clinical Center for Neuropsychiatry for FM. A neurologist assessed FM, and patients completed the FiRST, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).

The results showed that among 1,168 patients, 9.0% met the diagnostic criteria for FM and were associated with being female, having unipolar depression, and higher scores on the BDI and STAI. The  FiRST demonstrated good psychometric properties (McDonald’s omega 0.79, corrected item-total correlation >0.45). An optimal cut-off point with the highest Youden’s index (J = 0.75) was >3 (AUC of 0.89).

They concluded FM is a common comorbidity in individuals with non-psychotic mental disorders associated with being female, having unipolar depression, and experiencing higher levels of anxiety and depression, while (FiRST) can be used for FM screening in this population with a cut-off. 

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejp.4730