• Rationale and Comments

    There is a high probability that any person with a chronic pain syndrome has a concomitant psychological disorder, most notably depression and/or anxiety. The relationship between chronic pain and depression/anxiety is well established. The causal arrow between pain and these disorders can point in either direction and over time may form a positive feedback loop between these two elements. Screening tools are available that will aid in the detection of potential depression/anxiety, and, when indicated, a referral may be most appropriate for more extensive evaluation and treatment. In addition, lesser psychological factors such as catastrophizing and fear avoidance behavior may interfere with a patient’s recovery and should be recognized by the clinician. Recognizing indicators of patient psychosocial health behavioral factors can affect a patient’s recovery and/or compliance with treatment and may decrease the risk of developing chronic illness/pain. Tools such as the StarTBack 9 screening tool, PHQ-9 depression scale, and the Fear Avoidance Belief Questionnaire are examples.

    Sponsoring Organizations

    • American Chiropractic Association

    Sources

    • Expert consensus

    Disciplines

    • Neurologic
    • Psychiatric and Psychologic

    References

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