Pain and Placebo

Question 1

Placebo

Answer 1

Inert substance that causes symptom relief (or amplification).

Question 2

Non-Interactive Theories of Placebo

Answer 2

Individual factors (traits etc)
Treatment factors (surgery, pills)
Practitioner (professional status)
*these factors are separate and do not combine

Question 3

Interactive Theories of Placebo

Answer 3

The placebo effect involves person, treatment and practitioner factors (expectations, bias, conditioning and anxiety reduction etc).

Question 4

Physiological Theories of Placebo

Answer 4

Placebos facilitate endorphin release which leads to reduced pain.

Question 5

Pain

Answer 5

Warning from the body that something is wrong. Triggers protective behaviours that are beneficial to long term survival.

Question 6

Biomedical Perspective of Pain

Answer 6

Receptors sensitive to pain determine the degree of pain and send the message to the brain. Tissue damage is the cause of pain.

Question 7

Gate Control Theory of Pain

Answer 7

A neural gate, located in the spinal cord, controls levels of pain by opening and closing a gate.

Question 8

Factors that Open the Gate

Answer 8

Injury, anxiety, tension, boredom, depression, inappropriate activity levels.

Question 9

Factors that Close the Gate

Answer 9

Medication, relaxation, distraction, positive emotions.

Question 10

Pain and Learning Theory

Answer 10

We respond to pain with a set of behaviours which are reinforced through attention/sympathy. This increases our perception of pain.

Question 11

Pain Treatment Goals

Answer 11

Improve function, decrease resistance on medical services, increase social support, decrease anxiety/boredom.

Question 12

Pain Treatment Methods

Answer 12

Acupuncture (expectancy/placebo effect), biofeedback, relaxation, cognitive methods (CBT, restructuring).