Idiopathic pelvic pain. The relationship to depression

Episodic and chronic idiopathic pelvic pain is enigmatic for both physician and patient. Antidepressant drug therapy combined with behavior modification techniques is beneficial in improving the functional status of some patients. Whether the decrease in frequency, intensity, and duration of pelvic pain complaints results from treatment of underlying depression or analgesic effects of the antidepressant drugs is difficult to determine. Addressing the psychological component of idiopathic pelvic pain through education and counseling is essential to long-term resolution of symptoms.