Psychosocial Interventions for Pain Management

Pamela Portelli

Abstract

Chronic pain has been identified as the most common somatic complaint that prompts individuals to seek medical assistance. Although the aetiology of pain is often organic, chronic pain can have a significant impact on the overall well-being of the individual. Multi-disciplinary approaches adopting a bio-psychosocial perspective offer a more comprehensive treatment to minimalist ones relying solely on pharmacological treatments. The bio-psychosocial approach views pain as an illness rather than disease, thus recognizing the subjectivity nature of the pain experience. Apart from that, pain alleviation is often challenging and the importance of pain management is becoming increasingly important. This review is a brief exploration of psychological interventions for the management of chronic pain, with the aim of promoting positive behaviour change, increasing selfmanagement skills and pain-coping responses as well as improving the overall quality of life of the individual.