Chronic pain syndromes in childhood, 2021, Schechter (Oxford Textbook of Pediatric Pain)

From the chapter:

"The fact of their frequent co-occurrence [multiple types of pain] has significant research implications as it requires an explanatory model that is broader than focus on a specific end organ (stomach, back, head etc). It is not only the frequency of overlap of these entities that is noteworthy, however, but also the co-occurrence of many other associated features. These include the female predominance, association with psychological disorders, school and sleep disruption, frequent fatigue, and loss of mental clarity.

Additionally, many of the same centrally acting nonspecific treatments (exercise, stress reduction, acupuncture, and neuromodulating drugs such as antidepressants and anticonvulsants) are effective for all of these syndromes.

These shared characteristics provide further support for the linkage of these entities and add to the critical importance of a multidisciplinary approach which allows the insights of researchers who had been narrowly exploring one type of pain to influence the thinking of those exploring other pain problems."​

Argh. Let's not let reality get in the way of a story that happens to nicely tie in with the writer's prejudices then. It's frightening that this is a textbook published in 2021.

 

Yep, they wheel out all of the unevidenced stereotypes. The reference to 'specific personality types' was particularly masterful, as it can mean whatever personality type they need it to mean. If it becomes clear that the research suggesting there's no link between a specific pain condition and a specific personality characteristic, it's always possible to claim that it is some other personality characteristic that matters.

I can't read more. Everyone involved in the production of this prejudiced nonsense is culpable for the poor treatment of children with chronic pain and their families.