[Association between chronic pain and depression]

The comorbidity integrated by chronic pain and depression is very common. The somatoform depressive symptoms appear often as diferent types of pain. Amon them premenstrual pain and fibromialgia are some of the most important clinical pictures. Chronic pain leads to depression as a consequence of these three kinds of factors: biomedical, psychosocial (passive attitude, disability) and pharmacological agents. Copping and acceptance of chronic pain is associated with lower pain intensity, less depression and less psychosocial disability. The appropriate use of analgesics in the management of chronic pain demands individualization. Several antidepressants have possitive effects on pain syndrom. Depression is underrecognized ad undertreated above all in patients with chronic pain. In order screening the depression seven ways are described here: personal and family history, type of the personality, clinic and evolutive aspects of somatoform symptom, search of other depressive symptoms and positive therapeutic effect determinated by an antidepressant.