Study On The Pain Sensitivity And Pain Intensity In Adolescents With Major Depressive Disorder

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the pain in adolescents with major depressive disorder(MDD),and to explore the influencing factors related to pain sensitivity and pain intensity in adolescents with MDD.Methods: A total of 166 subjects completed the self-administered questionnaire and pressure pain test.47 healthy adolescents recruited from the hospital physical examination center were served as the control group and 119 adolescents who met the inclusion criteria for MDD were served as the study group.Clinical data included duration of illness,age at onset,and treatment.The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression(HAM-D)and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20(TAS-20)were used to evaluate the clinical characteristics of the subjects.The hand-held pressure pain instrument was used to evaluate the experimental pain sensitivity of the subjects.The measurement of experimental pain sensitivity includes pressure pain threshold(PPT)and pressure pain tolerance(PTO).The Numerical Rating Scale-11(NRS-11)was used to evaluate the pain intensity of subjects.The differences in pain sensitivity and pain intensity between the study group and the control group were compared,and factors related to pain sensitivity and pain intensity in the study group were analyzed.Results: The number reporting pain was significantly higher in the study group than in the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.001).The incidence of pain in adolescents with MDD was 80.7%.There were statistical differences in tibial pressure pain tolerance and forearm pressure pain tolerance between the study group and the control group(P<0.05),and the pain sensitivity of the study group was significantly lower than that of the control group.The total TAS score was closely related to pain sensitivity,and the higher the TAS total score,the lower the pain sensitivity.The HAM-D total score was associated with the pain intensity,and the more severe the depressive symptoms,the more likely the pain intensity was increased by at least one level.Conclusion: Adolescents with MDD have a higher incidence of pain.The severity of alexithymia and depressive symptoms were closely related to the reduction of pain sensitivity and the increase of pain intensity in adolescents with MDD,respectively.In clinical practice,psychiatrists should pay attention to the pain status of adolescents with MDD.Early screening of alexithymia symptoms in adolescents with MDD has certain clinical significance for alleviating pain.