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In a message dated 10/3/98 7:00:22 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [log in to unmask] writes: << Recently in an APA abstract: Chronic pain patients were compared and categorized. Patients who have Rheumatoid Arthritis were compared to patients who have Fibromyalgia. 30% of the patients with RA demonstrated severe psychological disorders compared to 88% of patients with Fibro. Amazing. Any comments about this? >> Dear Karen, These percentages seem consistent with what I have seen in my clinic. Although, I must question the meaning of "severe" psychological disorders. It seems that the majority of (if not all) patients with fibromyalgia (FM) suffer from depression of varying degrees. I am not a psychologist, but I am beginning to feel that FM may be purely a manifestation of depression. Sources that I have read describe that the painful tissues show normal micro- anatomy, unlike MFPS. So is FM purely a psychological disorder? Does this explain the insomnia? I have tried many standard and nonstandard treatment approaches for my FM patients. Unfortunately, only about 10% of these patients have shown significant improvement. Am I missing something? It is interesting that my success rate is about the same percentage of FM patients without depression in the abstract you describe. So are FM patients seeing the wrong type of therapist? Or is FM a garbage term for undiagnosed conditions? I find FM a fascinating topic, but unfortunately I'd rather read about it than treat it. Help! Nick %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%