Rethinking the Psychogenic Model of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: Somatoform Disorders and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Explaining the etiology of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) from the psychogenicmodel is exceedingly unsophisticated, because neurocognitive deficits, neuroanatomicalabnormalities, and distortions in cognitive mapping are features of CRPSpathology. More importantly, many people who have developed CRPS have no history ofmental illness. The psychogenic model offers comfort to physicians and mental healthpractitioners (MHPs) who have difficulty understanding pain maintained by newly uncoveredneuro inflammatory processes. With increased education about CRPS througha biopsychosocial perspective, both physicians and MHPs can better diagnose, treat, andmanage CRPS symptomatology.