Why we need pain psychologists / pain psychiatrists as integral part of every pain clinic?

The term ‘chronic pain’ itself is often multifaceted, and for many patients with this condition it exacts a toll on physical and psychological well-being. Yet most conventional pain management methods do not take into account the massive role mental health plays in pain sensation and healing. The current paper promotes for a specially trained pain psychologist and psychiatrist role in the pain clinic, concentrating mainly on emotional, cognitive and behavioral part of the composite psychological-biological-environmental model controlling chronic pain. Treatment with pharmaceuticals has a high cost to both the patient and the healthcare system. While psychological interventions (cognitive behavioral therapy [CBT], mindfulness) have shown better outcomes in coping skills, stress reduction and in improving the quality of life. Pain psychiatrists overall are responsible for treating the mental health comorbidities, such as depression and anxiety which tend to worsen with chronic pain. In addition, they address the common problems of opioid dependence and substance abuse in chronic pain patients. Although such integration has numerous advantages, there are several hurdles that must be overcome, including the compartmentalization of healthcare, stigma and lack of access to mental health experts. Parity in participation was seen as key to the future of pain management, which will continue to evolve and be delivered by multidisciplinary teams using novel digital health tools that support holistic patient-centered care. Keywords: Chronic pain; pain psychiatrists; pain psychologists; mindfulness; opioid dependency; mental health; cognitive behavioral therapy; multidisciplinary teams; interdisciplinary pain management. Citation: Zahid MA, Nasir H, Saleh M, Ahmed S. Why we need pain psychologists / pain psychiatrists as integral part of every pain clinic? Anaesth. pain & intensive care 2024;28(6):977-981; DOI: 10.35975/apic.v28i6.2614 Received: Sep 19, 2024; Reviewed: September 20, 2024; Accepted: October 09, 2024