Many chronic health problems are now conceptualized within a biopsychosocial framework. That is, decades of research have shown that many health problems reflect not only biology but also a patient's thoughts and feelings about the problem, how it affects daily life, how the patient chooses to cope with it, and how others around them respond to it. Going beyond physical anatomy to understand the whole patient can help physicians better plan treatment and enhance the overall effectiveness of medical care.
Decades of study has taught doctors that individual differences have a lot to do with how a person experiences pain. As such, understanding how pain affects a person's thoughts, emotions, and behaviors (the specialty of a psychologist) can make important contributions to a treatment plan. A pain/psychological evaluation consists of a clinical interview and psychological testing, which are designed to understand all aspects of a person's pain experience,not only biological manage pain as effectively as possible and minimize the role of pain in his/her life.
To be considered a success, surgeries offered for pain need to do more than improve the look of your MRI. Successful surgeries need change how you think about pain and how it affects your life. Over 20 years of scientific study has shown that the most successful surgeons rely not only on medical tests but also on presurgical psychological screenings, so that they can understand all facets of each patient and plan treatment accordingly.
This section answers many people have when sent to a psychologist prior to surgery for a pain problem:
It’s not because he thinks you are crazy or that your pain is “in your head.†Instead, your surgeon understands that pain can affect all areas of your life. His job is to “zoom in†to see (and, if possible, correct) physical causes of pain inside your body. A psychologist “zooms out†to see how pain is affecting the rest of your life. Both perspectives are important.
Many patients will find that surgery does a great job of reducing pain and improving quality of life. However, others end up disappointed with their results. Over 20 years of research has shown that surgeons who make use of presurgical psychological evaluations can tailor personalized treatment plans for their patients and get better surgical outcomes.
You will meet with a psychologist, who will ask you questions to understand your symptoms and unique situation. After that, you will be asked to complete several questionnaires, which give more information about your thoughts, feelings, and habits and how they might be affected by pain.
Some evaluations can be completed in two to three hours; others can take four or five. It depends on the details of your situation, the pace at which you answer questionnaires, and how many breaks you take.
You will have the chance to ask any question you have on the morning of your appointment, before beginning your evaluation. If you have questions you would like to ask before that, please contact Dr. Frey’s office at 225-963-0709.
Please contact our office for more information or to schedule an appointment.