Comorbid Depression in Association with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder, in a Young Patient with Facet Joints Spondylosis of the Lumbar Spine

¹Doctoral Student (PhD in Medicine), School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire Doctoral College, Hertfordshire University, AL10 9AB, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.

²Lecturer and Researcher at the Department of Anatomy and Cellular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, Bab Al-Mo'adham, 10047, Baghdad, Iraq.

³Member of National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN).
Member of European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV).
Member of American Association of Anatomists (AAA).

Corresponding Author: Ahmed Al-Imam, Doctoral Student (PhD in Medicine), School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire Doctoral College, Hertfordshire University, AL10 9AB, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. Tel: +964 (0) 771 433 8199; E-Mail: [email protected]
Received Date: 18 Apr 2016  
Accepted Date: 02 May 2016  
Published Date: 09 May 2016
Copyright © 2016 Al-Imam A.
Citation: Al-Imam A. (2016). Comorbid Depression in Association with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder, in a Young Patient with Facet Joints Spondylosis of the Lumbar Spine. Mathews J Psychiatry Ment Health. 1(1): 002.

ABSTRACT

This is a challenging case of a young 32-years old male patient. His psychiatric-medical condition lasted for around three years, from late 2012 to late 2015. Almost all of the patient's problem in this case scenario, originated from an imbalanced relationship with an older female colleague with a wider experience of life, including sexual life. This relation was a source of psychological disturbances that gradually became interfering with patient's routine daily life, work and professionalism, social life, family relationships, and his overall progress as a functioning individual in his society. Patient psychological distress, arose from a depriving relationship with his female colleague. His distress, was centered about the female's past sexual life, including her past marital life, and her pre-marital experience with multiple sexual partners.

The patient became gradually convinced that the female was in desperate need of his persistent support to overcome her recent divorce issue, which eventually depleted the patient at emotional, psychological, and physical levels. Later, the patient developed a parallel medical condition, which is facet joints' degeneration (osteoarthritis) of the lumbar spine, in the context of mild-to-moderate lower lumbar spondylosis that was most evident at L4-L5 and L5-S1 intervertebral levels. His persistent lumbar back pain, became a two-faceted player, interfering with patient's daily physically activity, and causing significant emotional distress, depression, anxiety, and even panic attacks sporadically. This physical illness added to the already burdened psychological status. His lumbar spine problem persisted for approximately an entire year that was eventually dramatically improved in late 2015. After which, the patient gradually resumed his daily activities, including working as professional member of the teaching staff at a University level. There were no residual effects interfering with psychological improvement, apart from sporadic and negligible flash backs of his emotionally-traumatic experience. However, these were insignificant, and never interfering anymore with his normal life and interpersonal communications. In summary, this case provides a further embodied evidence, of how a psychologically-related disturbance, at an emotional level, can be of potential physical consequences, and vice versa. Moreover, the physical illness of this patient, played key role in augmenting, impending, and delaying the full psychological recovery.

KEYWORDS

Case report; Depression; Anxiety; Young; Lumbar; Facet joints; Zygapophyseal; Degeneration; Spondylosis; Physiotherapy.