How Personality Can Shape the Fibromyalgia Experience

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Fibromyalgia can bring a wide range of symptoms — from numbness and fatigue to cognitive difficulties and mood disturbances. New research sheds light on how a particular personality type — called Type D personality (TDP) — can intensify the emotional and physical burdens of fibromyalgia. TDP is characterized by high levels of negative emotions and social inhibition, meaning people with this personality type may often feel distressed but struggle to express those feelings or seek support.

“In recent studies, the importance of psychological factors has increased due to their influence on the clinic, prognosis and treatment responses of fibromyalgia,” wrote a group of investigators from the Department of Psychiatry at Giresun University in Turkey. “Personality traits in fibromyalgia, especially TDP, have attracted attention due to their negative impact on the disease.”

Research has shown that TDP can increase social isolation and reduce a patient’s capacity to enjoy pleasure. For patients with fibromyalgia, those with TDP had worse pain, more functionality loss and a worse quality of life compared with patients without TDP traits.

In this study, researchers compared three groups: people with fibromyalgia and TDP, people with fibromyalgia without TDP, and healthy individuals. They looked at levels of depression, anxiety and somatosensory amplification — a term that refers to heightened awareness and sensitivity to physical symptoms, which can make pain and discomfort feel worse than they actually are.

A total of 104 patients were recruited from an outpatient clinic between January 2024 and January 2025 who had a diagnosis of fibromyalgia and were adults between 18 and 65 years of age. The healthy control group was age- and gender-matched to patients and did not have a history of fibromyalgia, chronic pain or TDP traits.

Depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), anxiety levels were measured using the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Somatosensory Amplification Scale (SSAS) was used to determine a person’s perceptual sensitivity toward bodily sensations.

Investigators found that patients with TDP had significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety and somatic sensitivity compared with those without TDP or healthy controls. Importantly, the study found that somatosensory amplification played a key role in linking TDP with more severe fibromyalgia symptoms. Essentially, if a person has TDP and tends to focus on bodily symptoms, that could intensify their fibromyalgia experience.

These insights point to new ways to support people with fibromyalgia — especially those with TDP. By recognizing and treating not just physical pain but also emotional distress and symptom sensitivity, health care providers may be able to help patients feel better overall. Psychosocial therapies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy or mindfulness-based stress reduction, could be especially beneficial.

While the findings were insightful, it’s important to understand the study’s limitations. First, all participants were treated at a large, specialized hospital, which usually sees people with more serious cases. That means the findings may not apply to people with milder symptoms or those receiving care in regular community settings. Additionally, the study used self-reported surveys to measure symptoms of depression, anxiety and symptom sensitivity and could be affected by how participants felt at the moment or how they perceived their symptoms. Investigators encourage future research to include more objective tools to help confirm these results.

“Identification of TDP as a potential risk factor in fibromyalgia patients may help to develop personalized and comprehensive treatment strategies,” investigators concluded.

Key Takeaways:

• People with fibromyalgia and Type D personality experience more depression, anxiety and symptom sensitivity than others.
• Somatosensory amplification (being overly sensitive to physical symptoms) makes fibromyalgia feel worse and links TDP to more severe disease.
• Addressing psychological stress and symptom sensitivity may enhance treatment outcomes for fibromyalgia patients with TDP.