Pain Disorder

Etiology

Some suggest that reinforcement for the sick role may play a role in the development of pain disorder. Other’s suggest that unconscious conflicts are converted to pain symptoms.

Symptoms

Pain which causes significant distress or impairment in functioning which cannot be fully explained by a physician. It must be judged to be related to psychological factors and cannot be better explained by another disorder.

Treatment

Pain symptoms may decrease with therapy and improvement sin social and interpersonal functioning.

Prognosis

Poor. The course is typically chronic and persists for years, and often involves other symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and drug abuse.