Pain Perception in Depression Depends on the Site of Stimulation

Decreased sensitivity of depressed patients to experimentally induced pain in contrast to prevalent clinical pain complaints characterizes a paradoxical circumstance. The physiological basis of this phenomenon is elusive. Therefore we applied a testing battery to both arms of subjects, including assessment of heat pain (threshold, tolerance), electrical pain and ischemic muscle pain. We investigated 30 patients suffering from a major depressive disorder and 15 patients with an acute stress disorder and matched controls to both groups. Results of pain testing were comparable in both disorders. While confirming hy…