Papers of the Week

Interdisciplinary cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for chronic pain is effective at improving function, mood, and pain interference among individuals with disabling chronic pain. Traditionally, CBT assumes cognitive change is an active therapeutic ingredient in the determination of treatment outcome. Pain catastrophizing, a cognitive response style that views the experience of pain as uncontrollable, permanent, and destructive, has been identified as an important maladaptive cognition which contributes to difficulties with the management of chronic pain. Consequently, pain catastrophizing is commonly targeted in CBT for chronic pain.