[Personality markers, defense behavior and illness concept in patients with primary fibromyalgia]

Recent studies indicate the relevance of psychological factors in the pathogenesis of primary fibromyalgia, although the results sometimes differ. Most of the studies investigated personality features and depression. Beyond these our study investigates defense mechanisms and illness behavior in primary fibromyalgia comparing them with those of psychogenic pain patients and with controls. All patients (fibromyalgia n = 47, psychogenic pain n = 63, controls n = 84) completed German adaptations of the Defense Mechanisms Inventory (DMI) and the Illness Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) and the "Questionnaire of Psychosomatic Disease-Patterns" (FAPK). The two chronic pain groups show a high conformity: Reduced relation to reality, emotional vacancy in relationships, aggression restraint are the predominant personality features. Immature defense mechanisms and abnormal illness behavior are predominant. Somatic pain and its hypochondrical pursuit substitute the tackling of seemingly unsolvable life problems. Conclusions for the management of fibromyalgia patients are outlined.