Chronic pain is not merely a physical sensation

Thanks are due to Kang and colleagues for their article on chronic pain1—it’s a tricky matter, and any attempt to improve the service we give to patients is welcome. But I think an aspect of chronic pain hasn’t been explored here.Pain cannot be easily or sensibly classified by whether there is a presumed “physical” or “psychological” cause, and separating the two is unhelpful. As humans, we are one complex system; we know that our mental state can affect our perception of pain and that pain can affect our mental state.I suggest that we look at chronic psychological pain as part of the total “chronic pain” diagnosis. Mental anguish—particularly over many years and often as a result of major trauma—can cause or exacerbate physical symptoms, which often express themselves in actual physical pain. Think about your experience and that of your friends, family, and patients—how much exploration into root causes of…
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