Pain more than just a sensation

Palliative medicine is the discipline that deals with relieving pain, particularly for people with untreatable conditions, including cancer, towards the end of their life. It is a multi-disciplinary approach that incorporates pharmacology, radiotherapy, psychiatry and rehabilitation. Pain is a purely subjective experience which can be influenced by sensation, cognition, emotion (depression, anxiety, fear, anger), delirium, conscious state, family, support and spiritual concepts. Therefore a holistic approach to pain control geared to suit the patient and their needs results in its optimal control. Somatization is the projection of emotional distress as physical symptoms, including pain, which is common in times of stress and can also be classified as a mental disorder (somatoform disorder). The reality of impending death and fear of the unknown contribute to, and hinder pain control. If psychological factors influencing pain are not addressed through counselling, this can set up a vicious cycle of inefficient overuse of opioid analgesics that cause no decrease in pain, hallucinations, sedation, confusion, and delirium, which in turn attribute to anxiety and continuing perception of pain. Coping strategies, behavioral modification, family therapy, and cognitive therapy should always be a component of palliative care and considered in any treatment of pain.

Source: summary of medical news story as reported by Red Nova

Related Disease Topics:

• Cancer
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Delirium
• Somatization
• Somatoform disorder
• Mental disorder
• Death

Related Symptom Topics:

• Pain
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Fear
• Anger
• Emotional distress
• Stress
• Hallucinations
• Sedation
• Confusion

Article Source Details

About: Pain more than just a sensation

Date: 15 July 2005

Source: Red Nova

URL: http://www.rednova.com/news/health/175181/palliative_pain_management_when_both_pain_and_suffering_hurt/

Related Medical Topics

This summary article refers to the following medical categories:

• Cause of pain
• Cause of cancer pain
• Cause of death
• Cause of end of life issues
• Cause of intractable pain
• Medication
• Medication and palliative care
• Medication and pain
• Medication and pain syndrome
• Medication and intractable pain
• Medication and opioids
• Medication and analgesia
• Medication and opioid overdose
• Medication and hallucinations
• Medication and sedation
• Medication and confusion
• Medication and delirium
• Medication and depression
• Medication and anxiety
• Medication and cancer pain
• Medication and counseling
• Medication and somatization
• Medication and refractory pain syndrome
• Medication and palliation
• Medication and palliative care
• Medication and neurogenic pain
• Medication and somatic pain
• Medication and muscle pain
• Medication and bone pain
• Medication and coping
• Medication and coping strategies
• Medication and behavioral modification
• Medication and family therapy
• Medication and cognitive therapy
• Medication and nausea
• Medication and anticancer drugs
• Medication and tumor drugs
• Medication and nociception
• Risk and sedation
• Risk and confusion
• Risk and opioids
• Risk and anxiety
• Risk and depression
• Risk and overmedication
• Risk and undermedication
• Risk and mental disorder
• Risk and somatization
• Risk and somatoform disorder
• Risk and death
• Risk and cancer pain
• Risk and cognition
• Risk and family support
• Risk and fear
• Risk and anger
• Risk and emotional distress
• Risk and physical symptoms
• Risk and stress

More News Topics

Search Specialists by State and City