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Pain disorder is chronic pain experienced by a patient in one or more areas, and is thought to be caused by psychological stress. The pain is often so severe that it disables the patient from proper functioning. Duration may be as short as a few days or as long as many years.
Psychogenic pain is physical pain that is caused, increased, or prolonged by mental, emotional, or behavioral factors, without evidence of physical injury or illness. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] Headache, back pain, or stomach pain are some of the most common types of psychogenic pain. [ 5 ]
Pain psychology aims to treat the person in pain rather than strictly the pain itself. A pain psychologist’s job is to work with the mental health issues that can be feeding into the physical pain that the patient is experiencing, and help them manage and reduce the effect it has on their lives.
Psychological pain, mental pain, or emotional pain is an unpleasant feeling (a suffering) of a psychological, non-physical origin. A pioneer in the field of suicidology, Edwin S. Shneidman, described it as "how much you hurt as a human being. It is mental suffering; mental torment."
Chronic pain is another controversial psychological condition, labeled in the DSM-IV-TR as Pain Disorder Associated with Psychological Factors (with or without a Medical Condition). The "biopsychosocial approach" recognizes the influence of psychological factors (e.g., stress) on pain. It was once thought that chronic pain could be the result ...
Mental disorders can amplify pain signals and make symptoms more severe. [134] In addition, comorbid psychiatric disorders, such as major depressive disorder, can significantly delay the diagnosis of pain disorders. [135] Major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder are the most common comorbidities associated with chronic pain.
Pain may be viewed positively, exemplified by the 'no pain, no gain' attitude, with pain seen as an essential part of training. Sporting culture tends to normalise experiences of pain and injury and celebrate athletes who 'play hurt'. [131] Pain has psychological, social, and physical dimensions, and is greatly influenced by cultural factors. [132]
The term medically unexplained symptoms is in some cases treated as synonymous to older terms such as psychosomatic symptoms, conversion disorders, somatic symptoms, somatisations or somatoform disorders; as well as contemporary terms such as functional disorders, bodily distress, and persistent physical symptoms. [6]