Efforts to address the opioid epidemic have primarily focused on reducing the number of opioid prescriptions provided by health care providers. However, the use of a multidisciplinary, cooperative approach may enhance our patient's biopsychosocial resilience which contributes to improved pain management skills. Pain psychology offers an opportunity to guide the patient to enhance or discover their inner resilience and capitalize on the strength of the mind body connection experientially.
The goal of this presentation is to use real-life case examples to demonstrate how psychological risk factors may contribute to patterns that lead to opioid abuse. From there, psychological interventions that target these risk factors are explained and displayed through a video recording with a closed captioning transcript. Although the biopsychosocial model of chronic pain treatment is much cited and appreciated as a part of our integrated work, it is rare for providers to know first-hand the type of work that pain psychologists/health psychologists are doing as contributing members of these teams.
Learning Objectives:
Explain what psychological factors contribute to opioid abuse risk
Identify psychological patterns and cycles that lead to opioid abuse
Differentiate interventions that improve pain management and decrease opioid abuse
Experience and learn about ventral vagal activation through Qi Gong shake the tree exercise
Define pain psychology and its role in integrated pain management
