Twenty-five gynecologic patients with chronic pelvic pain were evaluated in a multi-disciplinary study. Gynecologic evaluation revealed most patients had normal pelvic exams. Psychiatric evaluation showed all of the patients to have significant psychopathology, with Borderline Syndrome, and Hysterical Character Disorder the most frequent diagnoses. A significant incidence of early childhood family dysfunction and incest were found. Psychological testing corroborated the high incidence of severe psychopathology.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
TaylorH. C.Jr., Pelvic Pain Based on Vascular and Autonomic Nervous System Disorder, Amer. J. Obstet. Gynec., 67, pp. 1177–1196, 1954.
2.
BensonR. C.HansonK. H.MatarazzoJ. D., A typical Pelvic Pain In Women: Gynecologic-Psychiatric Considerations, Amer. J. Obstet. Gynec., 77, pp. 806–825, 1959.
3.
DuncanC. H.TaylorH. C.Jr., Psychosomatic Study of Pelvic Congestion, Amer. J. Obstet. Gynec., 64, pp. 1–12, 1952.
4.
Gidro-FrankL.GordonT.TaylorH. C.Jr., Pelvic Pain and Female Identity: A Survey of Emotional Factors in Forty Patients, Amer. J. Obstet. Gynec., 79, pp. 1184–1202, 1960.
5.
Castelnuovo-TedescoP.KroutB. M., Psychosomatic Aspects of Chronic Pelvic Pain, Psych. Med., 1, pp. 109–126, 1970.
6.
PillingL. F.BrannickT. L.SwensonW. M., Psychologic Characteristics of Psychiatric Patients Having Pain as a Presenting Symptom, Canadian Medical Assoc. J., 98, pp. 387–394, 1967.
7.
SternbachR. A.WolfS. R.MurphyR. W.AkesonW. H., Traits of Pain Patients: The Low-Back “Loser,”Psychosomatics, 14, pp. 226–229, 1973.
8.
ZungW. W. K., Evaluating Treatment Methods for Depressive Disorders, Amer. J. Psychiat., 124 (Suppl.), pp. 40–48, 1968.
9.
ZungW. W. K., A Self-Rating Depression Scale, Arch. Gen. Psychiat., 12, pp. 63–70, 1965.
10.
OverallJ. E.GorhamD. R., The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Psychol. Rep., 10, pp. 799–812, 1962.
11.
PilowskyI.SpenceN. E., Illness Behavior Syndromes Associated with Intractable Pain, Pain, 2, pp. 61–71, 1976.
12.
GuzinskiG.GrossR. J.DoerrH.CaldirolaD., Pelvic Pain: Results of a Study, Unpublished data.
13.
GundersonJ. G.SingerM. T., Defining Borderline Patients: An Overview, Amer. J. Psychiat., 132, pp. 1–10, 1975.
14.
ChodoffP., Diagnosis of Hysteria, Amer. J. Psychiat., 131, pp. 1073–1978, 1974.
15.
GeismarL. L., Family and Community Functioning, A Manual of Measurement for Social Work Practice and Policy.
16.
WeinbergS. K., Incest Behavior, Citadel Press, Secaucus, New Jersey, (rev. ed.), 1976.
17.
YoungW. H.Jr., Speech to American Society for Adolescent Psychiatry in Toronto, April 30, 1977. (From page 273 of The Broken Taboo by Blair and Rita Justice, Human Sciences Press, New York, 1979.
18.
WoodburyJ.SchwartzE., The Silent Sin: A Case History of Incest, Signet Books, New York, 1971.
19.
KaufmannI.PeckA. L.TagiuriC. K., The Family Constellation and Overt Incestuous Relations Between Father and Daughter, Amer. J. Orthopsychiat., 24, pp. 266–277, 1954.
20.
KernbergO. F., Borderline Conditions and Pathological Narcissism, Jason Aronson, Inc., New York, pp. 40–41, 1975.
