title: Cognitive-Behavioral self-help for chronic pain.
abstract: Cognitive behavioral self-help is a potentially cost-saving method of delivering evidence-based treatment to a wide range of chronic pain patients. This article provides a rationale for self-help and focuses on the effectiveness of self-help in the management of chronic pain, which typically includes some degree of lay leader or professional facilitation. The evidence for these treatments is generally positive (e.g., reductions in pain and pain-related disability) across such illnesses as arthritis, back pain, headache, and temporomandibular joint disorders. When implementing self-help, professionals need to consider individual differences in suitability for using a self-management treatment and evaluate the outcome in the context of a stepped care approach. This article uses three case examples to illustrate the use of cognitive behavioral self-help delivered in the care of scleroderma patients.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. lbuenav1@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Luis F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Buenaver
authors.forename: Lynanne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McGuire
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Haythornthwaite
mesh_terms: D001945:Breathing Exercises; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology; D059408:Pain Management; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods*