Looking at Pseudoaddiction in Chronic Pain Management
The term pseudoaddiction is fairly new to the addiction treatment field but has been used in chronic pain management for quite some time now. What is important to remember is that even though pseudoaddiction looks like addiction, it is actually caused by an undertreated or mistreated chronic pain condition. However, my treatment plan for pseudoaddiction and addiction is identical. The major danger of pseudoaddiction is that if it is not adequately addressed, it will turn into full blown addiction—sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.
In 2004 the American Academy of Pain Medicine, the American Pain Society, and the American Society of Addiction Medicine collaborated on defining pseudoaddiction: Behaviors that may occur when pain is undertreated. Patients with unrelieved pain may become focused on obtaining medications, may “clock watch,” and may otherwise seem inappropriately “drug seeking.” Even behaviors such as illicit drug use and deception can occur in the patient’s efforts to obtain relief.
To read my newest article on this topic please check out Differentiating Between Addiction and Pseudoaddiction that you can download for free on our Articles page.
You can learn about the Addiction-Free Pain Management® System at our website www.addiction-free.com. If you are working with people undergoing chronic pain management and want to learn how to develop a plan for managing their chronic pain and coexisting psychological disorders; including depression, addiction and other coexisting psychological disorders effectively; please consider my book Managing Pain and Coexisting Disorders: Using the Addiction-Free Pain Management® System. To purchase this book please Click Here.
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To see an online overview of Cognit delivering Addiction-Free Pain Management® please go to this Link for a free demo.
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