Dr. Melissa Pielech, and co-authors Claire Lunde, Dr. Kevin Vowles, Dr. Sara Becker, and Dr. Christine B Sieberg, recently published a manuscript in a special issue of the journal American Psychologist focused on psychology's role in addressing the dual crises of chronic pain and opioid-related harms.

The review paper is titled "Comorbid Chronic Pain and Opioid Misuse in Youth: Knowns, Unknowns, and Implications for Behavioral Treatment." Little is known about the optimal behavioral treatments for youth with co-morbid chronic pain and opioid misuse, despite the high likelihood of short- and long-term adverse consequences associated with both conditions. To address this gap, this review article draws from the evidence base and best practices for the psychosocial treatment of pediatric pain, opioid misuse and adolescent substance use to propose a comprehensive agenda to prevent and treat chronic pain and opioid misuse in youth.

Full text of the article is available here.

The press release for this special issue of the American Psychologist edited by Drs. Tonya Palermo and Robert Kerns can be found here.