Fibromyalgia: Resignation, restitution, and response bias

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder of unknown etiology, affecting predominantly women, characterized by the presence of multiple tender points combined with widespread musculoskeletal pain. The prevalence of this disorder in international studies ranges from 0.5% to 5% in the general population and 2.0-3.3% of the general North American population (Gordon, 1999; Gran, 2003; Lindell, Bergman, Petersson, Jacobsson, & Herrstrom, 2000; Neumann & Buskila, 2003; White & Harth, 2001; Wolfe, Ross, Anderson, Russell, & Hebert, 1995; Yunus, 2002).