What are operant learning and social learning, and how do these models of behavior relate to pain? Operant learning in pain management is based on the idea that pain behaviors arise along with a pain condition, and these presentations can be altered, as they are reinforced by environmental influences. The person in pain will act …
What is the biopsychosocial model, and how does it inform pain treatment? The biopsychosocial model of health care is a theory and guide which holds that disease, illness, pain, and suffering are constituted by interacting dimensions, and scientific data is only one of these. It recommends a holistic approach to medical care that transcends objectivism. …
At what stage in pain management should psychological treatment be introduced? The basis for referral of a patient for a pain psychology evaluation is the clinician’s judgment that psychological factors are implicated in the presentation of the pain and the suffering. It should be emphasized that not all patients with pain have psychological comorbidity and …
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What is the risk of not including psychological treatment in pain management? Pain patients have significant psychological comorbidity. Psychological syndromes found in the pain patient population include depression, anxiety, fear, sleep, appetite and sexual dysfunction, cognitive impairment, somatization, alexithymia, and negative emotions such as anger, hostility, and guilt. Occasionally, more severe psychological problems will develop, …
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Are there different psychological symptoms or disorders with the different types of pain? Psychological reactions to pain involve a range of emotional distress and dysfunction. Neuropathic, visceral, and somatic pain can all cause psychological symptoms (such as depression or anxiety) and/or disorders (such as major depression or generalized anxiety). It is difficult to tie a …
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What is the history of pain psychology? There is a vast literature on the history of pain and its psychological aspects. Historians studying pain through the ages have emphasized that each generation creates its own narrative for the psychology of pain. The formal inclusion of clinical psychology as a component of the pain field took …
How is psychological treatment relevant to pain management? Evolving best practice pain medicine guidelines are now largely based upon a multidisciplinary model including psychological evaluation and treatment. Treatment based upon scientific pain medicine findings is insufficient for comprehensive patient care. Psychological factors are understood to be both etiological and consequential to the pain experience. Given …
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