Chronic Pain Types Psychogenic Pain Causes and Treatment By Erica Jacques Erica Jacques LinkedIn Erica Jacques, OT, is a board-certified occupational therapist at a level one trauma center. Learn about our editorial process Updated on January 25, 2023 Medically reviewed by Kristie Reed, PharmD Medically reviewed by Kristie Reed, PharmD Kristie Reed, PharmD, is the pharmacy director of a community hospital. She's responsible for overseeing emergency, general medicine, surgical, psychiatric care, oncology, and IV medication. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Print Psychogenic pain is the term for pain that is primarily caused by psychological factors, such as depression and anxiety. While psychogenic pain is not caused by clear physical pathology, it is a very real type of chronic pain. People with depression and anxiety may report psychogenic pain all over their bodies, even when there is no apparent physical cause. lolostock / Getty Images Psychogenic pain is often harder to treat than nociceptive pain or neuropathic pain. Traditional painkillers are designed to treat physical problems, such as inflammation or nerve dysfunction. With psychogenic pain, however, there is often no physical cause to find and treat. Non-pharmaceutical pain treatments, such as TENS and distraction, tend to be more effective at reducing psychogenic pain than traditional painkillers. What Triggers Psychogenic Pain Although this pain is very real for those who experience it, there is no specific test to determine whether you have psychogenic pain. This type of pain can have many different psychological factors that can trigger, exacerbate, or maintain the pain: BeliefsEmotionsFearsMental illness like depression or anxiety Symptoms Psychogenic pain can present in a variety of ways. Here are some common symptoms attributable to this condition: Muscle painsStomach painsBack painsHeadaches How a Physician Determines You Have Psychogenic Pain When you present to your physician with pain, your physician will do a physical exam to figure out the physical or neurological origin of this pain. With psychogenic pain, tangible organic or physical findings are neither present nor substantial enough to account for the pain that you experience. Instead, psychological factors contribute to the onset, severity, and exacerbation of the pain. Your physician should elicit a history to uncover such psychological factors. Repercussions of Psychogenic Pain Psychogenic pain can have serious consequences and erode your quality of life and health status. First, people with psychogenic pain can miss work due to the pain. Second, people with psychogenic pain often spend a lot of time visiting with healthcare professionals trying to figure out how to treat the pain. Third, psychogenic pain can contribute to the abuse of and dependence on pain medications (think opioid pain relievers like Norco or Vicodin). Treatment Psychogenic pain can be challenging to adequately treat. Often, mental health professionals work with medical physicians to treat this condition. Here are some possible treatments for psychogenic pain: Non-narcotic painkillers (think NSAIDs like acetaminophen or ibuprofen)PsychotherapyAntidepressants Opioid painkillers are not a good treatment option for psychogenic pain. These medications fail to target the root cause of this condition, which is psychological, and instead can result in abuse and dependence, which are frightening problems on their own. 3 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Cleveland Clinic. Pain: Psychogenic Pain. Danilov AB, Isagilyan ED, Mackaschova ES. Psychogenic pain. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2018;118(11):103-108. Russian. doi:10.17116/jnevro2018118111103 Toda K. The terms neurogenic pain and psychogenic pain complicate clinical practice. Clin J Pain. 2007;23(4):380-1. doi:10.1097/AJP.0b013e31803b36dd Additional Reading Covington EC. Psychogenic pain-what it means, why it does not exist, and how to diagnose it. Pain Med. 2000;1(4):287–94. doi: 10.1046/j.1526-4637.2000.00049.x Defrance J, Foucher S, Ramdani E, Guilloton L, Lefort H. Post-traumatic stress disorder and psychogenic pain. Soins. 2019;64(841):9-11. French. doi:10.1016/j.soin.2019.10.015 Elder WG. Somatic Symptom Disorder (Previously Somatoform Disorder), Factitious Disorder, & Malingering. In: South-Paul JE, Matheny SC, Lewis EL. eds. CURRENT Diagnosis & Treatment: Family Medicine, 4e. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2015. Swieboda P, Filip R, Prystupa A, Drozd M. Assessment of pain: types, mechanism and treatment. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2013;Spec no. 1:2-7. By Erica Jacques Erica Jacques, OT, is a board-certified occupational therapist at a level one trauma center. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Medical Expert Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit