The lived experience of severe pain, understandably, can lead to a process of catastrophizing, which is a cognitive distortion where patients assume the worst possible outcome in any situation where it is unlikely, not just spine surgery. Catastrophizing can manifest in two ways:
- Magnification: Making a current situation seem like a catastrophe
- Future catastrophizing: Imagining the worst possible outcome of a future event
In such cases, how can a caregiver know when to refer a spine patient to a psychologist?
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