Chronic Pain and Depression

Paper Summary:

This research paper attempts to evaluate whether patients suffering from chronic pain are more likely to be misdiagnosed as suffering from depression because their condition and disease is 'invisible' to physicians. More specifically the paper attempts to determine if there is a relationship between depression and chronic pain, and if so what the nature of that relationship is.

Introduction
Preliminary Literature Review
Conclusions

From the Paper:

"There is a large body of evidence that suggests that patients suffering from chronic pain also suffer from psychological illnesses such as anxiety or depression (Hendler, 2003; Nelson & Novy, 1997). The question to be explored is whether or not the pain experienced results from the psychological illness (depression) or the depression results from the chronic pain. Common practice in the medical community up until this point in time has been to assume that chronic pain or the perception of pain results more from psychological factors such as depression, rather than to view depression as resulting from the inadequate treatment of chronic pain symptoms."

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