medications, tricyclic ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATIONS,
and antispasmodic medications.
See alsoACUTE PAIN; CHRONIC PAIN; EUDYNIA; MAL-
DYNIA; NEURON; NOCICEPTOR.
psychogenic pain A PAINdisorder in which the
pain the person experiences has no apparent
organic or physical basis. Psychogenic pain often
has accompanying psychologic components such
as anxiety or DEPRESSION. Recurring HEADACHE, BACK
PAIN, generalized MUSCLEpain, and STOMACHpain
are common presentations of psychogenic pain.
In psychogenic pain, the experience of pain is
as real as if there were a clear physical cause.
However, over time the nature of the pain devi-
ates from the characteristics the doctor would
expect to observe with pain of organic cause. The
intensity of the pain may vary with external cir-
cumstances, for example, rather than as a result of
physiologic changes that would reasonably bring
about increase or decrease in pain intensity.
Psychogenic pain may be acute (come on sud-
denly) or chronic (persist over an extended time).
Most people benefit from a combination of treat-
ment that incorporates PSYCHOTHERAPY, nonmedica-
tion methods for pain relief, and mild ANALGESIC
MEDICATIONSor other medications appropriate for
the person’s symptoms. Recovery depends on the
ability of the person and his or her health-care
team to get to the bottom of the issues presenting
themselves as pain, to appropriately address and
resolve them.
See also ACUTE PAIN; ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF PAIN
RELIEF; BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION THERAPY; CHRONIC PAIN;
GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER(GAD); HYPOCHONDRIA-
SIS; MALDYNIA; SOMATIZATION DISORDER.psychogenic pain 383