Open AccessStigmatization of Patients with Chronic Pain: The Extinction of Empathy
Author(s) -
Cohen Milton,
Quintner John,
Buchanan David,
Nielsen Mandy,
Guy Lynette
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
pain medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.893
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1526-4637
pISSN - 1526-2375
DOI - 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2011.01264.x
Subject(s) - empathy , stigma (botany) , chronic pain , health professionals , psychology , extinction (optical mineralogy) , medicine , social psychology , clinical psychology , psychotherapist , health care , psychiatry , biology , economic growth , paleontology , economics
Objective. To address how health professionals may inadvertently contribute to the stigmatization of patients with chronic pain. Setting. Formulation and implementation of the Australian National Pain Strategy. Design. Review of current concepts of stereotyping and stigma, consideration of their relationship to empathy, and how they might impinge upon the clinical encounter. Findings. The extinction of empathy, which we refer to as “negative empathy,” can overwhelm health professionals, allowing the entry of negative community stereotypes of chronic pain sufferers and add to their stigmatization. Prevailing dualistic frames of reference encourage this process. Conclusion. Greater awareness by health professionals of their own potential, often inadvertent, contribution to the stigmatization of their patients with chronic pain may serve as a basis for an expanded model of clinical engagement.