Do certain personality disorders predispose patients to chronic pain?
- All personality types can experience chronic pain, but those who fit the criteria for Cluster C personality disorders are most vulnerable.
- It has been demonstrated that individuals with chronic pain are overrepresented in these patients’ tendencies to be low in self-directedness and high in harm avoidance.
- These characteristics make a person more likely to participate in fear-avoidance behaviors, which have been linked to the development of disabilities connected to chronic pain.
- These individuals frequently exhibit significant levels of anxiety, which can also encourage avoiding unpleasant events.
- This can result in a lack of use of rehabilitative therapies, atrophy of the muscles, and general deconditioning.
