Do you believe the pain is all in your head?

[succinate]

In my school two days ago, I overhead a conversation between three nursing students and one of them was having symptoms for some medical condition that her doctors cannot identify for some unknown reason and her friend said, "well, that's because the pain is all in your head." The third student said, "no that's ********. It cannot be in your head. C'mon, you are having PHYSICAL symptoms and the doctors cannot brush you off like that."

Do you believe the pain is really in our head? Why or why not?

[Biffbradford]

Like phantom limb pain? I recall watching some PBS TV show about someone who lost an arm, and was shown how to retrain their brain by use of mirrors to teach it that there indeed was no arm there. They had gotten it reduced to having pain in the fingers that were attached at the shoulders, but no other arm pain. That probably doesn't answer your question, but I thought it was an interesting story. :)

[succinate]

No, it can be ANY kind of pain. Not just phantom limb pain.

[applewhitern, BSN, RN]

Please do some research on pain. There are different types of pain; are you referring to psychogenic or psychosomatic pain? If a student nurse is stressed and/or under pressure, not getting enough sleep, etc., then yes, they can have pain "all in their head." This type of pain can certainly have physical symptoms, such as headache, stomach aches, etc. This nurse could also have something like fibromyalgia, which is sometimes hard to diagnose. The important thing is that she/he is seeing their doctor, and not dismissing it as "all in the head." Remember, too, that the pain is real to them.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

while it is true that pain is in the brain (remember your afferent/efferent pathways?), the stimiuli come from physical, spiritual or neurological basis. A lot of people, in my opinion, blow off someone else's pain because they cannot see it and cannot itdentify with it. I have observed nurses discount a patient's report of pain because the nurse has never been in that situation and cannot identify with the patient. I would find another doctor if I felt mine was dismissing my complaint.

[ncaru01]

I think it sure can be. I work in an ER and the majority of patients with fibromyalgia have a psych history and I find it interesting some psych/anxiety drugs treat it. I think perception and history plays a large part. We all know people that are terrible at being sick as well. I physicians shouldn't be dismissing but in the ED it seems like dilaudid is for everyone as long as they whine enough, which is terrible.