AccScience Publishing / JCBP / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/jcbp.5069
CASE REPORT

Comorbid major depressive disorder and fibromyalgia syndrome: A case report highlighting diagnostic challenges and successful multidisciplinary management

Junjun Liu1,2,3†* Yang Liu4† Zhaomin Lu4† Zhiye Wang4 Mengyuan Ni4 Lihua Zhang4 Zuonian Zhang4*
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1 Department of Psychiatry, Nanjing Meishan Hospital, Nanjing City, Yuhuatai District, Jiangsu, China
2 Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou City, Jiangsu, China
3 Suzhou Guangji Hospital, The Affiliated Guangji Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
4 Department of Neurology, Nanjing Meishan Hospital, Nanjing City, Yuhuatai District, Jiangsu, China
Submitted: 7 October 2024 | Revised: 19 November 2024 | Accepted: 11 December 2024 | Published: 27 December 2024
© 2024 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

Herein, we report the successful management of a 63-year-old woman with comorbid major depressive disorder (MDD) and fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). The patient exhibited a 3-year history of generalized pain, fatigue, poor sleep, and depression. Initially diagnosed with MDD, persistent symptoms led to an additional diagnosis of FMS. The treatment involved a multidisciplinary approach involving pharmacological interventions (venlafaxine, pregabalin, and lorazepam) and non-pharmacological strategies (psychotherapy and electroacupuncture). Significant improvement was observed in depressive and pain symptoms. By day 15, the patient exhibited marked improvement in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-24 (40 – 14), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (27 – 11), and Visual Analog Scale pain scores (8 – 0). The 3-month follow-up revealed sustained improvement, and the patient resumed normal daily activities. This case emphasizes the importance of thorough evaluation, consideration of comorbid conditions, and the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary approach in managing complex cases of comorbid MDD and FMS. Furthermore, personalized treatment strategies are required to achieve optimal long-term outcomes.

Keywords
Comorbid
Major depressive disorder
Fibromyalgia syndrome
Chronic pain
Multidisciplinary management
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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Journal of Clinical and Basic Psychosomatics, Electronic ISSN: 2972-4414 Print ISSN: 3060-8562, Published by AccScience Publishing