title: Psychological pain: a review of evidence.
abstract: This paper defines a symptom construct termed psychological pain and reviews clinical and neuroimaging evidence relevant to it. The psychological pain associated with severe depression is often perceived as worse than any physical pain that the individual has experienced and could be a critical component of suicidality that could be systematically assessed in potentially suicidal patients. Converging evidence from brain imaging studies suggests overlapping patterns of brain activation induced by both psychological pain and by physical pain. Future research on the role of psychological pain and its interaction with nociceptive pathways may provide novel clues to the understanding and treatment of depression and other psychiatric illnesses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Long Beach VA Medical Center, 5901 E. 7th Street, 116A, CA 90822, USA. Steven.mee@med.va.gov
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mee
authors.forename: Blynn G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Bunney
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reist
authors.forename: Steve G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Potkin
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Bunney
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D004645:Empathy; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data