• Mental Health
    • Anxiety
    • Depression
    • Bipolar Disorder
    • ADHD
    • Addiction
      • What is Addiction?
      • What Are Behavioral Addictions?
      • Addiction vs Dependence
      • Addiction Myths vs Facts
      • Addiction Statistics
      • How to Help a Friend
      • Find an Addiction Specialist
    • Eating Disorders
    • Personality Disorders
      • Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder
        • OCD vs. OCPD
    • Trauma
      • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
        • PTSD & COVID-19
      • Childhood Trauma
    • Sexual Disorders
      • Anorgasmia
      • Female Sexual Arousal Disorder (FSAD)
      • Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD)
      • Premature Ejaculation (PE)
      • Delayed Ejaculation
    • Schizophrenia
  • Therapy Techniques
    • Online Therapy
      • Best Online Therapy
      • Online Therapy for Teens
      • Best LGBTQ Online Therapy
      • Best Online Therapy for Insurance
    • Psychotherapy
    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
      • CBT for Anxiety
      • CBT for Social Anxiety
      • CBT for Panic Disorder
      • CBT for Insomnia
      • CBT Online
    • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
      • DBT for Teens
    • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
    • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
      • EMDR for PTSD
      • EMDR for Anxiety
      • EMDR Online
    • Art Therapy
    • Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
    • Exposure and Response Prevention
    • Group Therapy
    • Hypnotherapy
    • Motivational Interviewing
    • Person Centered Therapy
    • Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy
    • Sex Therapy
  • Types of Therapists
    • Faith-Based & Christian Counselors
    • Life Coaching
    • Family Therapist
      • Child & Teen Counseling
    • Marriage & Couples Counselors
      • Premarital Counseling
    • Psychiatrist
      • Psychology vs. Psychiatry
    • Psychotherapist
    • Grief Counselors
    • Online Therapists
  • Starting Therapy FAQ
    • Does Therapy Work?
      • How to Find a Therapist
      • Helping a Friend or Loved One
    • How to Choose a Therapist
      • Finding a Black Therapist
      • Finding a Latinx Therapist
      • Finding an LGBTQ-Friendly Therapist
      • Finding a Therapist as a Young Adult
      • Finding an Online Therapist
    • Preparing for Your First Session
    • Types of Mental Health Professionals
    • Mental Health Insurance
      • HSAs for Therapy
      • Sliding Scale Therapy Fees
    • Mental Health in the Workplace
      • Asking for a Mental Health Day
      • Taking Time Off for Mental Health
    • Top Mental Health Organizations
      • Mental Health Resources Outside the U.S.
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Policy
    • Advertising Policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • Write for Us
    • Join the Directory
    • Careers
  • Therapist Directory
    • Find a Therapist
    • Join the Directory
    • Directory Login
  • Mental Health
    • Anxiety
    • Depression
    • Bipolar Disorder
    • ADHD
    • Addiction
      • What is Addiction?
      • What Are Behavioral Addictions?
      • Addiction vs Dependence
      • Addiction Myths vs Facts
      • Addiction Statistics
      • How to Help a Friend
      • Find an Addiction Specialist
    • Eating Disorders
    • Personality Disorders
      • Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder
        • OCD vs. OCPD
    • Trauma
      • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
        • PTSD & COVID-19
      • Childhood Trauma
    • Sexual Disorders
      • Anorgasmia
      • Female Sexual Arousal Disorder (FSAD)
      • Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD)
      • Premature Ejaculation (PE)
      • Delayed Ejaculation
    • Schizophrenia
  • Therapy Techniques
    • Online Therapy
      • Best Online Therapy
      • Online Therapy for Teens
      • Best LGBTQ Online Therapy
      • Best Online Therapy for Insurance
    • Psychotherapy
    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
      • CBT for Anxiety
      • CBT for Social Anxiety
      • CBT for Panic Disorder
      • CBT for Insomnia
      • CBT Online
    • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
      • DBT for Teens
    • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
    • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
      • EMDR for PTSD
      • EMDR for Anxiety
      • EMDR Online
    • Art Therapy
    • Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
    • Exposure and Response Prevention
    • Group Therapy
    • Hypnotherapy
    • Motivational Interviewing
    • Person Centered Therapy
    • Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy
    • Sex Therapy
  • Types of Therapists
    • Faith-Based & Christian Counselors
    • Life Coaching
    • Family Therapist
      • Child & Teen Counseling
    • Marriage & Couples Counselors
      • Premarital Counseling
    • Psychiatrist
      • Psychology vs. Psychiatry
    • Psychotherapist
    • Grief Counselors
    • Online Therapists
  • Starting Therapy FAQ
    • Does Therapy Work?
      • How to Find a Therapist
      • Helping a Friend or Loved One
    • How to Choose a Therapist
      • Finding a Black Therapist
      • Finding a Latinx Therapist
      • Finding an LGBTQ-Friendly Therapist
      • Finding a Therapist as a Young Adult
      • Finding an Online Therapist
    • Preparing for Your First Session
    • Types of Mental Health Professionals
    • Mental Health Insurance
      • HSAs for Therapy
      • Sliding Scale Therapy Fees
    • Mental Health in the Workplace
      • Asking for a Mental Health Day
      • Taking Time Off for Mental Health
    • Top Mental Health Organizations
      • Mental Health Resources Outside the U.S.
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Policy
    • Advertising Policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • Write for Us
    • Join the Directory
    • Careers
  • Therapist Directory
    • Find a Therapist
    • Join the Directory
    • Directory Login
Skip to content

Chronic Pain and Depression, Anxiety, and Mental Health

Published: September 25, 2020 Updated: February 8, 2023
Published: 09/25/2020 Updated: 02/08/2023
Headshot of Elena Welsh, PhD
Written by:

Elena Welsh

PhD
Dena Westphalen, PharmD
Reviewed by:

Dena Westphalen

PharmD
  • What Causes Chronic Pain?Causes
  • Chronic Pain & Mental HealthMental Health
  • How Psychotherapy Fits Into Chronic Pain ManagementHow Therapy Helps
  • Therapy for Chronic PainTherapy Options
  • Where to Find a Therapist Who Is Familiar With Chronic PainWhere to Find
  • Is Therapy Effective for Treating Chronic Pain?Effectiveness
  • Living With Chronic Pain: Coping & Managing SymptomsCoping
  • Additional ResourcesResources
  • Chronic Pain and Depression, Anxiety, and Mental Health InfographicsInfographics
Headshot of Elena Welsh, PhD
Written by:

Elena Welsh

PhD
Dena Westphalen, PharmD
Reviewed by:

Dena Westphalen

PharmD

Chronic pain is defined as any significant pain that has persisted for longer than three months. Chronic pain can have a far-reaching impact on someone’s life, including potential reliance on pain medication, limiting one’s ability to engage in occupational and social activities, and emotional distress. There are clear links between chronic pain and depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. Therapy has proven helpful for those experiencing chronic pain to manage their pain successfully and live full lives in spite of it.

A Therapist can help you learn to better manage pain and treat depression. BetterHelp has over 20,000 licensed therapists who provide convenient and affordable online therapy. BetterHelp starts at $60 per week. Complete a brief questionnaire and get matched with the right therapist for you.

Choosing Therapy partners with leading mental health companies and is compensated for marketing by BetterHelp

Visit BetterHelp

What Causes Chronic Pain?

Causes for chronic pain may include a physical injury, like a pulled muscle, strained back, or whiplash. Diseases, like cancer, multiple sclerosis, or fibromyalgia can cause chronic pain as well. It can also be caused by underlying health conditions, such as endometriosis, inflammatory bowel disease, or Neuropathic conditions that involve nerve damage in key systems that transmit pain information.

Chronic Pain Symptoms

The symptoms of chronic pain vary from person to person and can occur in various parts of the body. Typical chronic pain symptoms include, but are not limited to:

  • Lower back pain
  • Knee pain
  • Stomach pain
  • Nerve pain
  • Migraine headaches

In addition to the wide variability of the type, duration and intensity of pain, people also differ in terms of the levels of pain interference they experience in their lives and if it leads to permanent disability.

Chronic Pain & Mental Health

Naturally, chronic pain can take a significant toll on your mental health and quality of life. The emotional difficulties associated with chronic pain include the distress from the actual pain sensation, as well as secondary emotional distress caused by the impact of chronic pain. This might involve frustration related to frequent medical contact, isolation resulting from limited engagement in social or recreational activities, worries about what might come next, or hopelessness related to your condition. This combination of feelings cause a person to feel overwhelmed and experience burnout. As a result, individuals who experience chronic pain are also more likely to experience other mental health symptoms and conditions, especially depression and anxiety.1,2,3      

Depression and Chronic Pain

The relationship between depression and chronic pain may actually be bidirectional, as depression has also been identified as a risk factor in the transition from acute to chronic pain.4 This can be similar to chronic illness, such as for those living with multiple sclerosis, arthritis, or heart disease. Some interesting recent research has found that the absence of cheerfulness and laughter that occurs with depression had the strongest association with pain interference ratings.3 Individuals experiencing chronic pain are also more likely to experience insomnia and fatigue, engage in problematic medication use, and report lower overall quality of life.

Some of the primary psychological mechanisms that seem to lead to worse mental health outcomes, in the context of chronic pain, include:

  • Pain Catastrophizing: focusing on and thus magnifying the negative effects of pain and feeling helpless to cope with it.
  • Fear of Pain: Fears surrounding the pain or the condition worsening and typically leads to more activity avoidance.

Chronic Pain and Suicide

The most pressing concern in regards to chronic pain and mental health is the fact that individuals who experience chronic pain are at increased risk for suicide. Specifically, research has found that individuals with chronic pain are at least twice as likely to report suicide behaviors or complete suicide.5

The psychosocial factors that seem to contribute to increased suicide risk for people living with chronic pain include:

  • Mental defeat
  • Pain catastrophizing
  • Hopelessness
  • Perception of being a burden
  • Feeling that you don’t belong

Of note, the above psychosocial factors were more strongly related to suicide risk than actual pain characteristic (type, duration, and intensity) or physical status (pain interference or disability) was.

How Psychotherapy Fits Into Chronic Pain Management

There are many ways therapy can help you to cope with chronic pain. As we talked about, the ways you think about and manage your pain can impact whether or not you will also experience associated depression and anxiety. For instance, focusing on and magnifying the negative aspects of your pain (termed “pain catastrophizing”) typically makes you feel worse.

A therapist can help you learn to catch these thoughts patterns, so you can replace them with more balanced and helpful thoughts. Acknowledging the pain without judgment, reducing maladaptive ways of avoiding the pain (such as overusing pain medication), and learning to live a full life despite the pain.

Therapy can also teach you things about pain that will help you learn to manage it more effectively. For instance, you might learn about how pain information gets to your brain, so you can learn how to use things like distraction to reduce pain. You will also learn tools for coping with pain, such as relaxation techniques and activity pacing.

Many people with chronic already struggle with feeling like a “burden” to their friends and family, so therapy can provide you with a space where it is okay to talk about difficult emotions. A therapist can also help you learn how to get the most from your existing support system or may encourage you to begin to develop one.

Finally, working with a therapist can help you clarify and work towards what is important to you in life, so your values can define how you live, instead of your pain. The wide-scale adoption of online or video therapy has made accessing quality psychotherapy much easier, especially for those living with chronic pain or other chronic conditions.

Therapy for Chronic Pain

There are many styles of therapy available to those suffering from chronic pain including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and psychoeducational interventions.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Chronic Pain

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is often considered the gold standard for pain treatment because a significant body of research has demonstrated its effectiveness for a wide range of pain populations.6 CBT targets the unhelpful thoughts and behaviors that people have in response to their pain in order to improve their overall mental health and ideally, also lower their levels of pain sensation or at least interference.

CBT often begins with an exploration of how your thoughts, behaviors, and emotions are impacting you. In other words, along with your therapist, you become a sort of co-detective about your life and pain. By examining your thoughts about pain, you can identify any patterns that aren’t helpful for you in order to shift towards more helpful ways of thinking. This often includes identifying and modifying instances of pain catastrophizing.

Your CBT therapist will also help you figure out how to continue to do the things you enjoy, despite your pain. Because depression risk dramatically increases when you stop engaging in recreational, social, and work activities. You will also learn other behavioral tools for managing your pain, including activity pacing (during which you learn the optimal window to take breaks in order to reduce pain flare ups), and relaxation techniques. A typical course of CBT therapy for chronic pain is about 10-20 sessions, with follow-up as needed.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) For Chronic Pain

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and other mindfulness therapy techniques have also been used to treat chronic pain.7,8 Mindfulness techniques all involve developing a present awareness of thought and sensation, without judgment or attachment.

Eventually, this practice can help you separate the pain sensation from your emotional and cognitive responses to it. Specifically, MBSR is thought to desensitize individuals to pain and to increase their comfort with difficult emotions thereby reducing maladaptive responses to pain, such as overusing prescription medication or avoiding activities.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) For Chronic Pain

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a newer therapeutic modality that is also showing promise for managing chronic pain and improving quality of life.9 Rather than focusing on changing the way you think about pain, an ACT therapist would help you shift your behavior to be consistent with your goals and values.

Similarly, instead of focusing on reducing pain, ACT works to increase your acceptance of pain sensations, which has been shown to be predict better pain treatment outcomes, reduce depression, and decrease prescription opioid use.9,10

Psychoeducational Interventions For Chronic Pain

There are also effective psychoeducational interventions for chronic pain that typically occur in multidisciplinary medical settings.11 The delivery formats for these interventions vary, but common methods include informational support groups, individual sessions, online tutorials or phone sessions.

These interventions typically include education regarding various pain management techniques, and some include components of cognitive behavioral therapy, such as learning about pain catastrophizing. Psychoeducational groups are typically low commitment and show benefit after even a couple sessions.

Popular Choices For Online Therapy 

BetterHelp  – Best For Those “On A Budget”


Online-Therapy.com – Best For Multiple Sessions Per Week

According to 14 Best Therapy Services (updated on 1/16/2023), Choosing Therapy partners with leading mental health companies and is compensated for marketing by BetterHelp and Online-Therapy.

Where to Find a Therapist Who Is Familiar With Chronic Pain

If you are already working with a medical professional for your chronic pain (or for the condition your pain is secondary to), you can start by asking them about resources for your pain-related mental health. Many primary care settings or pain clinics offer pain support groups or psychoeducation groups.

Even if your doctor or medical center does not offer pain-related mental health support onsite, they can likely refer you to a therapist that specializes in pain management. It can be very helpful to have interdisciplinary teams work collaboratively on treating chronic pain. Therefore, you may want to consider signing a release of information to allow communication between the various professionals you are working with.

If you are searching for a therapist on your own, using “chronic pain” as a search term on a therapist directory site will help you find a therapist with this subspeciality. You can also search for chronic pain support and therapy groups on the same site. Alternately, because CBT and ACT are therapeutic modalities that have both been shown to be effective in treating chronic pain, you may decide to search for a therapist with this specific orientation.

In addition to general therapist search engines, the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies provides a searchable CBT therapist database. The Association for Contextual Behavioral Science provides a searchable database for ACT therapists.

Cost & Insurance

Out of pocket traditional therapy typically costs $100-200 per session. Depending on your insurance, you may be able to receive therapy at free or low cost with an in-network provider or receive partial reimbursement for out-of-network care. Unfortunately, if your insurance carrier requires a diagnosable mental health condition for treatment coverage, your therapy may only be covered if you develop secondary anxiety or depression (or other mental health condition). Group therapy options are typically cheaper, ranging from about $15-50 per session, and support and education groups are often free.

Is Therapy Effective for Treating Chronic Pain?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has demonstrated small-to-medium effect sizes on pain-associated anxiety and depression and has even shown effects on pain and functioning that are comparable to medical care.8,12 CBT-related changes in helplessness and catastrophizing seem to be a particularly important component to long lasting change in overall functioning. The benefits of CBT have been demonstrated in a range of pain populations, including cancer, lower back pain, multiple sclerosis, and nonspecific musculoskeletal pain.

Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction has shown long lasting reductions in the severity of pain intensity and has shown small-to-medium effects on pain-related anxiety and depression.7,8 It has also been studied with diverse pain samples, including cancer-related pain, fibromyalgia, and chronic migraine. Finally, MBSR has been found to enhance treatment outcomes when combined in interdisciplinary treatment.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a newer therapeutic modality, so it has not been studied as extensively as CBT has, but it is also showing promise in treating pain-related mental health and functioning.8,9

Some studies have found medium-to-large effect sizes in treating pain-related anxiety, disability, number of medical visits, and work status. Lower effect sizes have been found for depression and actual pain. ACT has also demonstrated effectiveness with multiple pain populations, including musculoskeletal pain and whiplash associated disorders.

Another important benefit of therapy is that it is extremely low risk, especially when compared to some other pain treatment options, such as opioid medication or surgery. Research has also demonstrated the importance of receiving psychosocial interventions as early as possible. For example, one study conducted a cost benefit analysis of 1,000 participants with low back pain and found that the participants who received early psychosocial intervention reported fewer health-care visits and missed workdays.13

Living With Chronic Pain: Coping & Managing Symptoms

Living with chronic pain will naturally impact your mental health and quality of life, but there is a lot you can do to manage your symptoms and to cope with the difficult emotions that come up. Some of the major takeaways from the research on what works in therapy for chronic pain involves not exaggerating or focusing on the negative aspects of your pain or worrying about what else could go wrong with your condition.

Instead, try to stay in the present moment, do what you can to manage your pain, but accept that some pain sensation may be inevitable. Focus your attention on what you want from life and figure out a way to take your pain along for the ride.

Here are some additional ways to cope:

  • Practice Active Stress Management: The muscle tension associated with stress can make chronic pain worse. Watch your stress levels and use relaxation tools, like deep breathing, to help you relax.
  • Track Your Pain: Keeping some sort of record of your pain levels can help you learn more about what helps with your pain and what doesn’t. For example, if you notice you barely slept the night before a hard pain day, it is a clue that good sleep is essential to managing your pain.
  • Take Breaks and Modify: Rather than not doing what you love, try to figure out a way to modify your favorite activity and/or take regular breaks. If possible, try to take breaks before your pain flares.

Additional Resources

Education is just the first step on our path to improved mental health and emotional wellness. To help our readers take the next step in their journey, Choosing Therapy has partnered with leaders in mental health and wellness. Choosing Therapy may be compensated for marketing by the companies mentioned below.

Talk Therapy 

Online-Therapy.com – Get support and guidance from a licensed therapist. Online-Therapy.com provides 45 minute weekly video sessions and unlimited text messaging with your therapist for only $64/week. Get Started

Online Psychiatry

Hims / Hers – If you’re living with anxiety or depression, finding the right medication match may make all the difference. Get FDA approved medication prescribed by your dedicated Hims / Hers Healthcare Provider and delivered right to your door. Plans start at $25 per month (first month). Get Started

Depression Newsletter

A free newsletter from Choosing Therapy for those impacted by depression. Get helpful tips and the latest information. Sign Up

Learn Anti-Stress & Relaxation Techniques

Mindfulness.com – Change your life by practicing mindfulness. In a few minutes a day, you can start developing mindfulness and meditation skills. Free Trial

Choosing Therapy Directory 

You can search for therapists by specialty,  experience, insurance, or price, and location. Find a therapist today.

Choosing Therapy partners with leading mental health companies and is compensated for marketing by Online-Therapy, Hims / Hers, and Mindfulness.com

For Further Reading

The following are helpful resources for anyone experiencing chronic pain:

  • Managing Chronic Pain Workbook: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Approach, by John Otis, Oxford Univeristy Press
  • Living Beyond Your Pain: Using Acceptance & Commitment Therapy to Ease Chronic Pain, by Joanne Dahl and Tobias Lundgren, New Harbinger Publications
  • The American Chronic Pain Association (The ACPA)
  • International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP)
  • National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association

Chronic Pain and Depression, Anxiety, and Mental Health Infographics

Chronic Pain Management Chronic Pain Definition Causes and Symptoms of Chronic Pain

Chronic Pain and Depression Effects on Mental Health and Quality of Life Psychosocial Factors Contributing to Increased Suicide Risk Choosing a Therapist for Chronic Pain

Chronic Pain Therapy Options Finding a Therapist for Chronic Pain Coping and Managing Symptoms of Chronic Pain

13 sources

Choosing Therapy strives to provide our readers with mental health content that is accurate and actionable. We have high standards for what can be cited within our articles. Acceptable sources include government agencies, universities and colleges, scholarly journals, industry and professional associations, and other high-integrity sources of mental health journalism. Learn more by reviewing our full editorial policy.

  • Bair, M.J., Robinson, RL, Katon W, & Kroenke K. (2003). Depression and pain comorbidity: a literature review. Archive Internal Medicine,163(20): 2433–2445.

  • McWilliams, L.A., Cox, B.J., & Enns, M.W. (2003). Mood and anxiety disorders associated with chronic pain: an examination in a nationally representative sample. Pain, 106(1–2):127–133.

  • Gómez Penedo, J., Rubel, J., Blättler, L., Schmidt, S. , Stewart, J., Egloff, N., & Grosse Holtforth, M. (2020). The Complex Interplay of Pain, Depression, and Anxiety Symptoms in Patients With Chronic Pain, The Clinical Journal of Pain: 36 (4), 249-259 doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000797

  • Young Casey, C., Greenberg, M.A., Nicassio, P.M., Harpin, R.E., & Hubbard D. (2008). Transition from acute to chronic pain and disability: a model including cognitive, affective, and trauma factors. Pain,134(1–2):69–79.

  • Racine, M. (2018). Chronic pain and suicide risk: A comprehensive review. Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 87 (Pt. B), 269-280.

  • Day, M., Thorn, B. & Burns, J. (2012). The continuing evolution of biopsychosocial interventions for chronic pain. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 26(2): 114–129.

  • Kabat-Zinn J. (1982). An outpatient program in behavioral medicine for chronic pain patients based on the practice of mindfulness meditation: theoretical considerations and preliminary results. General Hospital Psychiatry, 4(1):33–47.

  • Sturgeon, J. (2014). Psychological therapies for the management of chronic pain. Psychology Research and Behavior Management 4:7, 155-124.

  • Craner, J. R., Lake, E. S., Bancroft, K. A., & George, L. L. (2020). Treatment Outcomes and Mechanisms for an ACT‐Based 10‐Week Interdisciplinary Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program. Pain Practice, 20(1), 44–54. https://doi-org.proxy.library.ca.gov/10.1111/papr.12824

  • Cederberg, J., Cernvall, M., Dahl, J., Essen, L., & Ljungman, G. (2016). Acceptance as a Mediator for Change in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Persons with Chronic Pain? International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 23(1), 21–29. https://doi-org.proxy.library.ca.gov/10.1007/s12529-015-9494-y

  • Joypaul, S., Kelly, F., McMillan, S. S., & King, M. A. (2019). Multi-disciplinary interventions for chronic pain involving education: A systematic review. PloS one, 14(10), e0223306. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223306

  • Williams, AC, Eccleston, C, Morley, S. (2012). Psychological therapies for management of chronic pain (excluding headache) in adults. Cochrane Database Systemic Review, 11:CD007407

  • Rogerson MD, Gatchel RJ, & Bierner SM. (2010). A Cost Utility Analysis of Interdisciplinary Early Intervention Versus Treatment as Usual For High-Risk Acute Low Back Pain Patients. Pain Practice, 10(5), 382–395. https://doi-org.proxy.library.ca.gov/10.1111/j.1533-2500.2009.00344.x

Recent Articles

Agoraphobia: Signs, Symptoms & Treatments
Agoraphobia: Signs, Symptoms & Treatments
People with agoraphobia avoid specific public places or situations because they anticipate having anxiety or a panic attack and...
';
How to Cope with Depression after Divorce
How to Cope With Depression After Divorce
The changes of divorce can lead to depression, mood changes, and anxiety. Overcoming depression after divorce will take allowing...
';
Depression in Older Adults: Signs, Treatments, & Ways to Cope
Depression In Older Adults: Signs, Treatments, & Ways to Cope
Depression is a common diagnosis in older adults and seniors, but doesn't have to be part of the aging...
';
Somniphobia (Fear of Sleep): Symptoms, Treatments, & How to Cope
Somniphobia (Fear of Sleep): Symptoms, Treatments, & How to Cope
Somniphobia, also known as fear of sleep, is generalized as a cross-over of anxiety and insomnia. There is typically...
';
Treatment Resistant Depression Signs, Symptoms and Treatment Options
Treatment Resistant Depression: Signs, Symptoms, & Treatment Options
Treatment resistant depression is defined as a case of depression that doesn’t respond to two or more treatments of...
';
Coping With the Fear of Dying Alone
Coping With the Fear of Dying Alone
Many people have a fear of dying alone. During recent events, isolation restrictions meant this tragedy was happening to...
';
Headshot of Elena Welsh, PhD
Written by:

Elena Welsh

PhD
Dena Westphalen, PharmD
Reviewed by:

Dena Westphalen

PharmD
  • What Causes Chronic Pain?Causes
  • Chronic Pain & Mental HealthMental Health
  • How Psychotherapy Fits Into Chronic Pain ManagementHow Therapy Helps
  • Therapy for Chronic PainTherapy Options
  • Where to Find a Therapist Who Is Familiar With Chronic PainWhere to Find
  • Is Therapy Effective for Treating Chronic Pain?Effectiveness
  • Living With Chronic Pain: Coping & Managing SymptomsCoping
  • Additional ResourcesResources
  • Chronic Pain and Depression, Anxiety, and Mental Health InfographicsInfographics
If you are in need of immediate medical help:
Medical
Emergency
911
Suicide Hotline
800-273-8255
See more Crisis Hotlines
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Write for Us
  • Careers
  • Editorial Policy
  • Advertising Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • No Surprises Act
For immediate help call:
Medical Emergency:
911
Suicide Hotline:
988
Click For More Crisis Hotlines
For immediate help call:
Medical Emergency:
911
Suicide Hotline:
811
See more Crisis Hotlines
here
logo
This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.
This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify.
Choosing Therapy Logo
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit Cookie Settings to provide controlled consent. Cookie settings ACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

We use cookies to facilitate website functionality. Also, we use third-party cookies to track your website behavior and target advertising. These cookies are stored in your browser only with your consent, and you have the choice of opting out.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non Necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

Save & Accept