Concise Guide to Pain Management for Psychiatrists

This guide provides an overview of the psychiatrist in the assessment and treatment of various pain states. The text reviews: the basics of pain mechanisms and physiology; the psychiatric differential diagnosis of pain states; and the psychiatric comorbidities of pain and treatment approaches. General pharmacologic principles and psychotherapeutic approaches for specific types of pain disorders are discussed. In addition, focus on the needs of special populations are discussed, for example the elderly, paediatrics, pregnancy and breast-feeding. Legal and forensic issues pertaining to the pain patient are likewise reviewed. The content coincides with the standards of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and content areas are emphasized in the sub-specialty certification exam in pain management.