Mdedge Psychcast

Dmitry M. Arbuck, MD, joins host Lorenzo Norris, MD, to discuss ways psychiatrists can help patients with treatment-resistant chronic pain. Dr. Arbuck is clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and medicine at Indiana University, Indianapolis. Dr. Arbuck also serves as president and medical director of Indiana Polyclinic, a multispecialty pain management facility, and is an associate editor of Current Psychiatry. Both Dr. Arbuck and Dr. Norris disclosed having no conflicts of interest. And do not miss the “Dr. RK” segment, where Renee Kohanski, MD, discusses part 2 of her examination of the constructs of medicine. Take-home points Acute and chronic pain are mediated by different mechanisms and therefore must be treated differently. Acute pain is caused by tissue damage leading to nociception, and it should heal. Chronic pain is the chronification of acute pain and more of an emotional state with sensations of pain without clear tissue damage. Many neurotransmitters are involved in pain, including dopamine