Pain therapy that is centered on the patient

Whether it's acute pain from surgery, burns, or traumas, or chronic pain from trauma or illnesses like sickle cell disease, arthritis, or fibromyalgia, federal recommendations announced in May call for a customized, multidisciplinary approach to managing people's pain.

In response to the nation's opioid crisis, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) formed a 29-member Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force. The organisation advocates for a biopsychosocial approach, in which health-care clinicians evaluate a patient's full environment before developing a treatment plan to reduce the likelihood of opioid misuse.

"Psychologists' role in this is substantial, crucial, and undervalued," says Halena M. Gazelka, MD, head of the Mayo Clinic's inpatient pain services and task force member.

The American Psychological Association (APA) endorses this "whole person" approach to care. Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, CEO of the American Psychological Association, testified before Congress in June about the crucial role that evidence-based psychological services may play in more effective pain management and lower opioid exposure.

Physical therapy, opioid and non-opioid drugs, nerve blocks, minimally invasive procedures, and behavioral therapies should all be included in pain management programs, according to the task force study.

"The behavioral health section of the report outlines promising and evidence-based psychological interventions for pain all in one place, which is pretty noteworthy," says Cecelia Spitznas, PhD, a senior science policy adviser at the Office of National Drug Control Policy and one of two psychologists who served on the task force.

Behavioral therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and emotional awareness and expression therapy are among the treatments mentioned.

According to task force member Mary W. Meagher, PhD, a professor in Texas A&M University's department of psychology and brain sciences, the suggestions reflect a growing recognition that pain involves complex biological, cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and social components.