The magnification of psychopathology sequelae associated with multiple chronic medical conditions

Recent literature indicates that chronic temporomandibular disorders (TMD), as well as other chronic medical conditions, are associated with a high degree of concomitant psycho-pathology. Patients with TMD have been found to evidence a higher distribution of depressive symptoms, as compared with the general population. Moreover, one study examined prevalence rates of psychological disorders for 50 chronic TMD patients and found that 86% of them were diagnosed with at least one Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) Axis I disorder; 46% received two or more Axis I diagnoses; and 40% met diagnostic criteria for a personality disorder. These high rates of psychiatric disorders far exceeded those for the general population, with a considerable disparity noted between the prevalence of major depression among TMD patients (74%) and the base rate of this disorder in the general population (5% to 26%).