Open AccessDoes the IASP definition of pain need updating?
Author(s) -
Murat Aydede
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
pain reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.113
H-Index - 15
ISSN - 2471-2531
DOI - 10.1097/pr9.0000000000000777
Subject(s) - warrant , terminology , presidential system , task force , task (project management) , epistemology , current (fluid) , psychology , positive economics , political science , law , economics , philosophy , engineering , management , linguistics , public administration , politics , financial economics , electrical engineering
The current IASP definition of pain has come under renewed criticisms recently. There is a new momentum for its revision as reflected by the fact that IASP has now a Presidential Task Force dedicated to look into whether there is enough warrant to update the definition. I critically review all the major criticisms of the current definition in detail, and raise new difficulties rarely discussed before. I show that none of the major criticisms has enough warrant to force us to substantially revise the current definition. Combined with the discussion of the new difficulties, there is nonetheless a need to restate the definition using slightly different terminology that will make the original intent of the current definition clearer and more precise. A restatement of the definition is proposed and its potential is discussed in light of some empirical questions that remain.