Pain-related Distress: Recognition and Appropriate Interventions

Many people who live with chronic pain report that they also suffer from low mood, irritability, and withdrawal from activities and relationships. Although traditionally this was conceptualised as 'depression', new evidence suggest that it is qualitatively different from clinical depression, and not surprisingly, the interventions that have been developed for groups with clinical depression don't seem to be of much help in the context of chronic pain. Dr. Tamar Pincus will describe this evidence and suggest ways in which clinicians can distinguish between depression and pain-related distress. She will also describe current intervention and propose ways of improving clinical and self-management for people with chronic pain.