The Association of Central Sensitisation with Depression, Anxiety, and Somatic Symptoms: A Cross-Sectional Study of... 2024 Takeuchi et al

Full title: The Association of Central Sensitisation with Depression, Anxiety, and Somatic Symptoms: A Cross-Sectional Study of a Mental Health Outpatient Clinic in Japan

Abstract

For patients with chronic pain and persistent physical symptoms, understanding the mechanism of central sensitisation may help in understanding how symptoms persist. This cross-sectional study investigated the association of central sensitisation with depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms.

Four hundred and fifteen adults attending an outpatient psychosomatic clinic were evaluated. Participants completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Somatic Symptom Scale 8, and the Central Sensitisation Inventory. The relationships between these factors were examined using descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression analyses. The mean age was 42.3 years, and 59% were female. The disorders included adjustment disorders (n = 70), anxiety disorders (n = 63), depressive disorders (n = 103), feeding and eating disorders (n = 30), sleep–wake disorders (n = 37), somatic symptoms and related disorders (n = 84), and others (n = 28). In multiple logistic regression analyses, higher central sensitisation was associated with more severe anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms after controlling for potential confounders. In the disease-specific analysis, somatic symptoms correlated more positively with central sensitisation than with depression or anxiety.

Central sensitisation and depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms were associated with patients attending an outpatient clinic. These findings highlight the importance of evaluating depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms when assessing central sensitisation.

Open access, https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/14/5/612

 

Asking overlapping questions yields overlapping answers. Even more so when done with intent and purpose. Who knew?!

How any of this has anything to do with the mechanism of this CSS thing is just baffling. I mean look at this, it's been a trend lately:

More food plates is associated with more food? What a breakthrough!

 

Given the Central Sensitisation questionnaires identify the sensitisation on the basis of researcher beliefs that have no independent verification it is hardly surprising that questionnaires designed to identify other things that the same pool of researchers believe are linked to Central Sensitisation it is hardly surprising researchers find correlations between them. This is totally circular.

Until they can come up with an objective measure of Central Sensitisation we have no idea if it exists or if it relates in any way to the questionnaires regarded as measuring it.