title: [Mental pain: is it a symptom?].
abstract: The psychiatrist is confronted by a variety of emotional states, ranging from sadness to exaltation. The term "psychache "has been used to describe depression with melancholic features. But can such mental pain be defined without reference to visible lesions or precise physical symptoms? We report pathophysiological evidence supporting this concept and show that it has implications for both treatment and prognosis. Cognitive studies have shown that the neurological substrate of physical pain is also activated by mental pain. Mental pain is associated with a risk of suicide and can be improved by analgesics, including opiates and ketamine.
authors.affiliation: Hôpital Sainte Anne, 1, rue Cabanis, 75014 Paris. raphael.gaillard@normalesup.org
authors.forename: Raphaël
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gaillard
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Loo
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Olie
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology*