Factors Affecting Depression In Patients

In the journal of Scientific Reports, researchers detail their first-time study investigating depression and factors impacting it in patients with painful temporomandibular disorders (TMD) during the COVID pandemic. It is well known that stress triggers or makes TMD more painful, therefore it’s not surprising that this patient group experienced:

• An increase in depression levels during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Anxiety/distress levels that were negatively affected
• Pain intensity that was negatively affected

112 patients with painful TMD, mixed joint muscle TMD pain, arthralgia, or myalgia were included. Findings “appear to support the hypothesis that the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown influenced depression in painful TMD, albeit with individual responses." Predictors of a higher Beck Depression Inventory level including muscle stiffness, psychological stress, being female, and clenching. Although the study group was small and there was no control group, the authors of the study state “it is worth noting that TMD was systematically diagnosed by TMD specialists according to the diagnostic/TMD criteria, and a psychological status analysis during the COVID-19 pandemic was performed.”

 

Read the journal article.

Other Categories:

• chronic pain

• COVID/coronavirus

• depression

• fibromyalgia

• pain management