Some relationships between subjective measures of pain

Among 43 patients referred to a psychiatrist for evaluation of their pain, 27 had organic disease related to their complaint and another 16 patients had pain but did not have related organic disease. The group with organic disease had been shown to have evidence of anxiety and depression. The experience of pain of the patients in both groups was investigated using a scale of clinical descriptions, a 10 cm analogue scale, an audiometric method recommended by Peck, and a pressure algometer. The groups were alike in respect of the level of the subjective estimates of severity of pain. There was a very significant positive correlation between the descriptive method and the ten cm analogue scale and a less marked correlation between each of the two latter techniques and the audiometric method.