ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a brief overview of pain, including a definition of chronic pain, a summary of the physiology of pain perception, and a brief review of the research on individual differences in pain perception. It introduces arthritis, an autoimmune disease for which one of the classic symptoms is chronic discomfort, aching, and soreness. The chapter briefly examines the relationship between these illnesses and chronic discomfort. It discusses instruments used to assess pain and explores pharmacological and psychotherapeutic pain management treatments. Many new drug therapies and medical regimens have been introduced to treat chronic pain. The chapter provides an overview of non-pharmacological interventions for chronic pain including psychological and alternative therapies. Treatment regimens for arthritis illustrate that whether used alone or in combination with other approaches, psychological therapies appear to play a major role in successful treatment outcomes. As such, health psychologists can play an important role in pain management.
