The Treatment of Depression in Chronic Low Back Pain: Review and Recommendations

The prevalence of major depression in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) is approximately three to four times greater than that reported in the general population. In spite of these high prevalence rates, there have been few systematic attempts to investigate the efficacy of treatment for major depression in patients with CLBP. While several studies have examined the efficacy of antidepressant medication and psychological treatment in patients with chronic pain, most of these studies have focused on treating chronic pain rather than depression. The few studies that have specifically addressed the treatment of depression in CLBP indicate that tricyclic antidepressants and cognitive-behavioral approaches may be effective means of treating depressed chronic pain patients. Clinical issues related to diagnostic confounds, rehabilitation outcome, and conceptualizations of the relation between pain and depression are discussed. It is argued that, in patients with clinical levels of depression, treatment modalities specifically targeting depressive symptomatology deserve serious consideration as an integral component of pain management programs.