Background: Depression and pain may sometimes be related conditions. Occasionally, depression may be
associated with physical symptoms, such as back pain and headache. Moreover, depression may impair the
subjective response to pain and is likely to influence the pain feeling. Conversely, chronic pain may represent
an emotional condition as well as physical sensation, and can influence both the mood and behaviour.
Aim: To better understand the relationship between pain and depression, we therefore assessed the pain
threshold and the tolerance pain threshold in patients with depressive disorders.