Illness Behavior: Pain Clinic Patients vs. Psychiatry Clinic Patients

Abstract

Aims: To investigate the difference of illness behavior with pain between psychiatric and pain clinic outpatient. Study Design: Cross-sectional study Place and Duration of Study: A survey on psychiatric and pain outpatients, Saga Medical School, Saga 849-8501, Japan. Duration of this study was three months between April 1, 2011, and June 30, 2011. Methodology: The subjects of this research included 40 patients (62.9±16.5 yr., M/F:15/25) in pain clinic outpatients and 43 patients (49.7±15.9 yr., M/F:13/30) in psychiatric clinic outpatient. Psychiatric patients were diagnosed as the somatoform disorders according to the DSM-IV. To clarify the difference of psychological status and illness behavior, we examined them using two psychological instruments: Illness Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) and General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12). Results: Pain clinic patients’ group was significantly older than psychiatric patient’s group. In terms of IBQ, the scores of psychological vs. somatic perception and affective disturbance among psychiatric outpatient group were significantly higher than those of pain clinic group. On the other hand, the score of denial among pain clinic group was significantly higher than those of psychiatric outpatient group. Conclusion: According to the IBQ, the subscale of denial has significant difference between the pain clinic patients and the psychiatric patients with pain. Pain clinic patients tend to deny their psychological problem.