Presenter: Michael H. Antoni, PhD, Anne-Marie Kimbell, PhD, MSEd

Pain is one of the most prevalent and one of the costliest health issues in North America, and approaches to treating pain cover a vast spectrum. Some of the most common treatments are simple bed rest, mild medications, acupuncture, physical therapy, injections, powerful opioid drugs, individual and group psychotherapy, and a variety of surgical procedures.
Despite interventions, some patients fail to achieve pain relief. For these – the chronic pain patients – a downward spiral of pain, disability, despair, high healthcare utilization, and overall poor quality of life results in immense costs for both the individual and society.

Professionals who work with chronic pain patients recognize that the pain experience involves more than the biological process through which the stimulation of nerves sends information to the brain about possible tissue damage. The patient’s unique constellation of genetics and prior experiences, as well as psychosocial assets and liabilities (e.g., personality factors, concurrent mental health status) form a cognitive and affective lens that affects how nerve stimulation is experienced, which in turn produces a bio-behavioral response.

The Millon Behavioral Medicine Diagnostic (MBMD) helps assess psychosocial factors that may support or interfere with a patient’s course of medical treatment. This webinar will describe how the MBMD was developed and how its’ specialized Chronic Pain Report can be used as part of a comprehensive evaluation to identify patient assets and liabilities to tailor a treatment plan that will optimize outcomes after surgical and non-surgical approaches to pain management.