Pain

The central argument of Pain is that only an integrated understanding of biology and psychology can explain the roots of pain in the nervous system and the relationship with mental events in modifying the experience of pain. Interactive animations on the accompanying DVD illustrate how tissue damage initiates signals in the nervous system, which the brain perceives as pain at the site of the injury. Videotaped interviews with people suffering from chronic pain and with health professionals working in pain clinics illuminate the underlying theories of pain and its treatment in the context of personal accounts. A discussion of the 'gate theory' of pain provides a scientific rationale for the efficacy of placebos and cognitive therapies in treating the pain of a physical stimulus. This leads to an explanation for the exacerbation of pain when people make catastrophic interpretations of their situation and its alleviation by techniques such as visualisation. The book concludes with an explanation of the 'placebo effect' and a discussion of different methods of treating pain, including surgical and chemical interventions and psychological techniques, illustrated by videos and animations on the DVD.

Pain is a paradoxical phenomenon - aiding human survival by warning us to retreat from damaging stimuli and rest while injuries heal, and yet causing immense human suffering when it becomes intractable. This is one of many puzzling features of pain examined in this book. What common properties are shared by pains triggered by noxious stimuli such as cuts and those triggered by social rejection, or empathy with the pain of another? How can a placebo, an inert substance which someone believes is an analgesic, reduce the pain of a migraine or a sprained ankle?

The central argument of Pain is that only an integrated understanding of biology and psychology can explain the roots of pain in the nervous system and the relationship with mental events in modifying the experience of pain. Interactive animations on the accompanying DVD illustrate how tissue damage initiates signals in the nervous system, which the brain perceives as pain at the site of the injury. Videotaped interviews with people suffering from chronic pain and with health professionals working in pain clinics illuminate the underlying theories of pain and its treatment in the context of personal accounts. A discussion of the 'gate theory' of pain provides a scientific rationale for the efficacy of placebos and cognitive therapies in treating the pain of a physical stimulus. This leads to an explanation for the exacerbation of pain when people make catastrophic interpretations of their situation and its alleviation by techniques such as visualisation. The book concludes with an explanation of the 'placebo effect' and a discussion of different methods of treating pain, including surgical and chemical interventions and psychological techniques, illustrated by videos and animations on the DVD.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Christopher J. Graver, PhD(Madigan Army Medical Center)
Description:Our understanding of pain is growing through multidisciplinary study that includes biology and psychology. This book, part of the Introducing Health Sciences: A Case Study Approach series, takes a look at pain through a multidisciplinary perspective and complementary approaches to treatment.
Purpose:The main purpose of the book is to foster a scientific understanding of pain from the perspectives of biology, chemistry, psychology, and epidemiology. It is intended to be both a standalone text on pain and a piece in a greater health sciences course.
Audience:Intended for undergraduate students in the health and social sciences, this is an introductory book that assumes little previous knowledge about the topic. An unexpected aspect of the book is the editor, Frederick Toates, whose scholarly work is mostly theoretical in nature.
Features:The clear goal in publishing this book was to keep it simple. The chapters are concise and range from the basic biology of pain to placebo effects. Each chapter has many subsections that are clearly labeled and present the key points in bold. Clinical vignettes and enrichment activities are found in special boxes. This full-color book has plenty of photographs, tables, and figures, which are supplemented by a companion DVD that brings the concepts to life. Each chapter ends with summary points, learning outcomes, and self assessment questions, further denoting the classroom intent. Overall, it is focused more on the biology of pain than the psychological aspects. This leads to one apparent weakness in that some sections are too short and only include select information (e.g., the psychological interventions section includes only two treatments when there are vastly more options, and dedicates only a couple of pages to this topic). Another weakness is the relative paucity of references, although those that are included are pertinent and very current.
Assessment:In general, this is a very basic, approachable book on the psychobiology of pain. It would be sufficient perhaps for a high school biology or anatomy course, but seems to be less than adequate for college-level students. In the attempt to be concise, the book has some significant omissions, especially in the psychology realm, and it fails to adequately reference relevant literature. For those seeking a more comprehensive book on pain in a health psychology context, Psychological Management of Physical Disabilities: A Practitioner's Guide, Kennedy (Taylor & Francis, 2007) would probably be more suitable.

Frederick Toates is Professor of Biological Psychology at the Open University, having previously held teaching positions at both the University of Odense, Denmark, and the University of Central Lancashire. In addition to publishing widely in peer-reviewed journals, Fred has contributed materials to several Open University course texts. He is also author of the textbook Biological Psychology (Pearson Education).