Catastrophizing and Fibromyalgia: A Mini-Review

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterized by widespread muscular-skeletal pain without any significant alterations upon physical examination and laboratory and radiological tests. From an analysis of the literature, it appears that in subjects affected by FM there is a tendency to catastrophize pain (that is, a negative assessment of pain and its consequences) and that this, in turn, is associated with psychological stress (anxiety, depression), with the experience of the pain itself, and adjustment to the illness. The aim of this study is to provide a synthesis of the most recent studies that investigate the relationship between pain, catastrophizing of pain and emotional distress in subjects with fibromyalgia, highlighting also the neurobiological correlates of catastrophizing and the treatments considered efficacious for fibromyalgic patients. Studying the cognitive, affective and biological variables that influence pain in fibromyalgia may help us to set up treatments that are more specific and effective for this type of patient.