Page 107 - JCBP-3-3

Journal of Clinical and

Basic Psychosomatics

CASE REPORT
Comorbid major depressive disorder and

fibromyalgia syndrome: A case report
highlighting diagnostic challenges and

successful multidisciplinary management

Junjun Liu 1,2,3† * , Yang Liu 4† , Zhaomin Lu 4† , Zhiye Wang4, Mengyuan Ni ,
4
Lihua Zhang , and Zuonian Zhang *
4
4
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

† These authors contributed equally Abstract
to this work.
Herein, we report the successful management of a 63-year-old woman with
*Corresponding authors: comorbid major depressive disorder (MDD) and fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS).
Junjun Liu
(g6115124@163.com) The patient exhibited a 3-year history of generalized pain, fatigue, poor sleep, and
Zonian Zhang depression. Initially diagnosed with MDD, persistent symptoms led to an additional
(zhangzn0518@163.com) diagnosis of FMS. The treatment involved a multidisciplinary approach involving
Citation: Liu J, Liu Y, Lu Z, pharmacological interventions (venlafaxine, pregabalin, and lorazepam) and non-
et al. Comorbid major depressive pharmacological strategies (psychotherapy and electroacupuncture). Significant
disorder and fibromyalgia
syndrome: A case report improvement was observed in depressive and pain symptoms. By day 15, the patient
highlighting diagnostic challenges exhibited marked improvement in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-24 (40 – 14),
and successful multidisciplinary Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (27 – 11), and Visual Analog Scale pain scores (8 – 0).
management. J Clin Basic
Psychosom. 2025;3(3):101-105. The 3-month follow-up revealed sustained improvement, and the patient resumed
doi: 10.36922/jcbp.5069 normal daily activities. This case emphasizes the importance of thorough evaluation,
Received: October 7, 2024 consideration of comorbid conditions, and the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary
approach in managing complex cases of comorbid MDD and FMS. Furthermore,
Revised: November 19, 2024
personalized treatment strategies are required to achieve optimal long-term
Accepted: December 11, 2024 outcomes.
Published online: December 27,
2024
Keywords: Comorbid; Major depressive disorder; Fibromyalgia syndrome; Chronic pain;
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). Multidisciplinary management
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, 1. Introduction
provided the original work is
properly cited. The psychological impact of chronic pain conditions is extensive and profound.
1
Publisher’s Note: AccScience Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), a chronic pain disorder, is characterized by widespread
Publishing remains neutral with musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and cognitive difficulties. FMS and
2
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional psychiatric disorders, particularly major depressive disorder (MDD), are frequently
3
affiliations. observed concurrently. Up to 70% of individuals with FMS may experience depressive

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 101 doi: 10.36922/jcbp.5069