Last updated: Thu, Aug 1, 2024
In this section I change focus from pain behaviors as seen from a psychological perspective to behaviors as seen from a psychiatric perspective. There is overlap between the two viewpoints, but psychiatry is specifically concerned with the categorization and treatment of behaviors that are by definition supposed to be pathological, that is, that are diseases.
The medical field of psychiatry is in the midst of change that is largely motivated by new pharmaceuticals and by new perspectives on behavior which arise from advances in understanding that have risen from neuroscience. Added to these forces is the medical and legal weight which psychiatric diagnoses must bear.
I am criticizing the scientific basis for several of these psychiatric diagnoses because I believe them to be out-of-synch with the relevant scientific knowledge. This, in my opinion, leads to diagnostic and treatment mistakes, and it tends to perpetuate belief in processes that are unproved and/or unprovable.
I urge you, however, in the event that you receive one of these diagnoses, to take it seriously. The provider who made the diagnosis has experience with a large range of patients and has received training that is simply unavailable except to clinicians. Any treatment that helps is worth considering.
There are, however, risks associated with accepting diagnoses and treatment plans that may be of little practical help. One risk is the risk of wagering on an ineffective treatment. Another risk is that of accepting the view of (your) human nature that some of these diagnoses imply. The risk with which I would be most concerned is the risk that a diagnosis or a treatment regime might tend to divert energy and resources away from medically-based diagnoses and treatments. I would advise you to raise these concerns with the prescribing provider. You shouldn't expect the provider to calm all of your concerns. (In my experience, specialty providers aren't good at imagining what it might be like not to have made the intellectual commitments that they have.) But you should expect them to be willing to discuss your concerns in a respectful fashion. Remember, it's your life, not theirs.
Within this section...
Introduction to Sequelae and Co-morbidities (Last updated: Wed, Jul 31, 2024)
Depression (Last updated: Wed, Jul 31, 2024)
Pain and Suicide (Last updated: Wed, Jul 31, 2024)
Sleep and Fatigue (Last updated: Wed, Jul 31, 2024)
PTSD (Last updated: Mon, Jul 3, 2017)
Anxiety (Last updated: Wed, Jul 31, 2024)
Somatization, Psychogenic Pain, and So Forth (Last updated: Thu, Aug 1, 2024)
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Placebo Analgesia (Last updated: Thu, Aug 1, 2024)