Structural models of comorbidity among common mental disorders: connections to chronic pain.

Abstract

Patterns of comorbidity among common mental disorders can be understood from the perspective of a model that regards mood, anxiety and somatization disorders as elements within an internalizing spectrum of disorder, and substance use and antisocial behavior disorders as elements within a separate externalizing spectrum of disorder. In this chapter, we evaluate the possibility of linking this model to literature on chronic pain. Evidence from psychosocial and biological perspectives points towards mechanisms that link chronic pain to internalizing disorders. Such evidence indicates that the internalizing-externalizing model may provide a useful framework for suggesting new directions for research on connections between chronic pain and mood, anxiety, and related disorders and traits.