SynthesisEuropean psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists2025
Chronic pain in mental disorders: An umbrella review of the prevalence, risk factors, and treatments across 957,168 people with mental disorders and 16,606,910 controls.
Synthesis in European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Risk factors for long-term analgesic prescription after hip or knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis: results of a multivariable regression analysis based on health insurance claims data from 137,875 patients with postoperative inpatient rehabilitation.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Article
- Diagnostic sequence of chronic pain and severe mental illness: Relationship with mental health and hospitalization outcomes.British journal of pain · 2026Article
- The lived and living experiences of having chronic pain and mental illness among Canadian veterans: A qualitative descriptive study.PLOS mental health · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundChronic pain (CP) and mental disorders often coexist, yet their relationship lacks comprehensive synthesis. This first hierarchical umbrella review examined systematic reviews and meta-analyses, also observational studies and randomized controlled trials (where reviews are currently lacking) to report CP prevalence, risk factors, and treatment across mental disorders.
methodsWe searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, Web of Science, and CINAHL, identifying 20 studies on anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD, autism, or dementia, and CP. Quality was assessed using AMSTAR and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.
resultsPrevalence varied widely-23.7% (95% CI 13.1-36.3) in bipolar disorder to 96% in PTSD-consistently exceeding general population rates (20-25%). Risks were elevated, with bidirectional links in depression (OR = 1.26-1.88). Risk factors included female gender, symptom severity, and socioeconomic disadvantage, though data were limited beyond PTSD and depression. Treatment evidence was sparse: cognitive behavioral therapy showed small effects on pain (SMD = 0.27, 95% CI -0.08-0.61), acupuncture with medication improved pain (MD = -1.06, 95% CI -1.65--0.47), and transcranial direct current stimulation reduced pain in dementia (d = 0.69-1.12). Methodological issues were evident, including heterogeneous designs and inconsistent pain definitions.
conclusionsThis review confirms CP as a significant comorbidity in mental disorders. Clinicians should prioritize routine pain screening and multimodal treatments. Researchers need longitudinal studies with standardized assessments to clarify causality and improve interventions. Taken together, this work highlights an urgent need for integrated psychiatric care approaches, emphasizing that addressing CP could enhance mental health outcomes and overall patient well-being.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.