Psychological assessment of persons with chronic pain

Chronic pain is one of the most prevalent and costly health care problems and variability is the rule more than the exception in terms of pain related outcomes. Clearly, psychological factors such as depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress, excessive somatic thoughts and a variety of psychiatric syndromes are recognized as actively contributing to a patient's perceptions and responses to pain and can represent significant potential impediments to functioning and optimal health care outcome. As a result, it is becoming increasingly common, and even required by many programs, for individuals who seek treatment for pain to undergo a comprehensive assessment that evaluates not only their medical findings, but also beliefs about their condition, coping strategies, psychological adjustment, activity level and quality of life. Psychological assessment instruments that provide information about a person's physiological, behavioral, and cognitive-affective functioning in terms of vulnerabilities and strengths can be a valuable tool for treatment providers. In the present paper, a biopsychosocial conceptual model is employed to provide an overview of a method and approach in evaluating patients with chronic pain, toward the goal of facilitating optimal outcome and management of pain syndromes.