The diagnosis of fibromyalgia (FM) has continued to be one of significant controversy in both the public discourse and within the medical community. Although it is a recognized diagnosis by the American College of Rheumatology, many medical professionals continue to disagree with the use of the diagnostic label of fibromyalgia in clinical practice and may implicitly or explicitly convey to their patients that without objective physical findings, the patient must be malingering or suffering from a purely psychological condition. These types of doctor-patient interaction can lead to feelings of stigma and shame on the part of the patient and may affect their self-image and behavior around compliance with medical treatment.

This study will examine the experience that patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia have in relation to their physicians. The purpose of this exploration is to aid patients and physicians by learning more about how this relationship and their physicians' implicit and explicit reactions to the diagnosis have affected the way the patients view themselves and their medical condition. This study also hopes to aid the field of psychology in understanding how to best work with patients with fibromyalgia and in how to effectively coordinate care with their medical providers.

A qualitative approach will be used in order to explore the greatest variety and depth of experience that patients with fibromyalgia have with their physicians. Twelve women with a pre-existing diagnosis of FM will be recruited from a rheumatology clinic specializing in the treatment of fibromyalgia. A semi-structured interview designed by the researcher will be used to elicit information from the participants about their experiences with their physicians and how these experiences have affected their self-image, feelings about their medical treatment, and behavior around compliance issues.