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Developments in Psychological Therapies for the Treatment of Chronic Pain
Lipovsky, Caedyn Parasania, Dev Pandey, Abhimaneu Martin, Georgia Shoenberger, Taylor
Lipovsky, Caedyn
Parasania, Dev
Pandey, Abhimaneu
Martin, Georgia
Shoenberger, Taylor
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Journal article
Date
2022-12-20
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Psychology and Neuroscience
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http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/10099
Abstract
What is pain? Is it physical or psychological? Why do we experience pain? These are some of the common questions that scientists and clinicians ask themselves to be better able to assist patients dealing with chronic pain. Pain is a signal in your nervous system that tells your body that something is wrong [1]. The external feeling of pain can differ depending on many factors, but it will usually be some type of prick, tingle, sting, burn, or ache [1]. It is true that not all pain is the same. Generally, it is categorized into two types–chronic and acute pain. Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts for longer than three months and occurs in a specific location in the body [2]. It can be divided into two categories: nociceptive, which is caused by tissue damage, or neuropathic, which is caused by damage to the peripheral or central nervous system [2]. The central nervous system (CNS) is composed of the brain and spinal cord while the peripheral nervous system is composed of the nerves that extend throughout the body. Arthritis, an inflammatory joint disease, is one such example of nociceptive pain since it involves the destruction of tissues; multiple sclerosis, a chronic illness affecting the brain, is an example of neuropathic pain since it affects the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves [3]. In comparison, acute pain is pain that occurs immediately after the pain response is received, and is typically very severe. If acute pain lasts longer than a given recovery period, it may become chronic pain [4]. This will usually occur if the injury or trauma that caused acute pain is not treated properly [4]. When chronic pain occurs, there is an obvious physical burden on an individual, and their day-to-day life is immensely impacted in a variety of ways. However, chronic pain is not simply a physical burden–chronic pain conditions have been found to be in the top 10 leading causes of disability across the world [5].Thus, most, if not all, chronic pain conditions are a contributing factor to unemployment rates [6]. Additionally, different pain and research groups evaluated the risk for suicide in those with different chronic pain disorders, and it was found that they were at a higher risk [7]. Specifically, pain-related depression and migraines were at the highest risk for a suicide attempt [7]. Overall, chronic pain has an impact on many aspects of an individual's life and well-being. Despite the dire need to find solutions for chronic pain, pain research only receives approximately 1-2% of the NIH funding [8]. In general, the treatment of chronic pain has been a matter of controversy in many research and clinical settings for years. Because of the complicated neurological pathways behind pain, many treatments, such as opioids, are ineffective and result in addiction. Recently, however, chronic pain has begun to be addressed through psychotherapies, drugs outside of opioids, and virtual reality technology.
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Lipovsky, C., Parasania, D., Pandey, A., Martin, G., Shoenberger, T., & Yu, W. (2022). Developments in Psychological Therapies for the Treatment of Chronic Pain. Grey Matters, 4, 24-31.
Citation to related work
Available at: https://greymattersjournaltu.org/issue-4/developments-in-psychological-therapies-for-the-treatment-of-chronic-pain
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Grey Matters, Iss. 4, Fall 2022
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