Center for Pain Management

Psychology Services

The role of the clinical psychologist at the Center for Pain Management is to function as part of a multidisciplinary team facilitating optimal recovery outcomes by focusing on the patient’s mental health needs.

Pain and depression are inextricably connected. Long-term pain often leads to a sense of loss, helplessness, sadness or depression. This feeling can hinder a patient’s ability to recover or participate completely in his or her treatment plan. And at the other end of the spectrum, many patients diagnosed with depression also express symptoms of chronic pain.

The clinical psychologist insures a patient’s mental health, emotional and psychological needs are met while being treated at the Center for Pain Management. This is achieved by identifying aspects of chronic pain and or chronic medical illness which may be impacting the daily function of a patient. Patients may exhibit issues not only of depression, but also adjustment, anxiety or panic – and thus have difficulties reaching optimal recovery.

The psychologist also screens and provides surgical clearances for patients who may need to undergo interventional procedures or need implantable devices such as a spinal cord stimulator .

Read more about this topic:

Often people focus only on the physical pain, though emotional distress also can play a major role in contributing to a medical condition. Physical and emotional pain are often connected—one can cause or exacerbate the other. These discussions address the psychological aspects of pain and its impact on total health.

Audio courtesy of HealthRadio.net:

	Dr. Clavijo-Passik discusses the connection between physical and emotional pain
	Depression: When is it serious?
	The stigma of anti-depressants
	Benefits of a multi-disciplinary treatment approach

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