PAIN
30/11/14 17:46
1072 צפיות
A team of researchers from University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences Department of Psychology have discovered that the common painkiller acetaminophen(paracetamol) eases emotional pain as well as physical pain. The findings come from a study of 62 healthy volunteers took 1,000 milligrams daily of either acetaminophen or a placebo. Surprisingly, feelings of being hurt declined over time in the group taking the common painkiller.
According to psychologist C. Nathan DeWall who led the study, "The idea—that a drug designed to alleviate physical pain should reduce the pain of social rejection—seemed simple and straightforward based on what we know about neural overlap between social and physical pain systems. To my surprise, I couldn't find anyone who had ever tested this idea."
The scientists believe acetaminophen helps social pain and hurt feelings because the same mechanisms in the brain that produce physical pain also lead to psychological pain.
For the study, researchers used the "Hurt Feelings Scale" - a measurement tool accepted for wide use by psychologists, seen as a valid measure of social pain. Individuals in the study who took placebo did not experience the same diminished feelings of social pain, indicating that acetaminophen-paracetamol, over time, was effective for reducing feelings of social rejection and hurt.
Research suggests that physical pain and psychological pain may share some underlying neurological mechanisms.
Brain regions that were consistently found to be implicated in both types of pain are the anterior cingulate cortex and prefrontal cortex(some subregions more than others), and may extend to other regions as well. Brain regions that were also found to be involved in psychological pain include the insular cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, thalamus, parahippocampal gyrus, basal ganglia, andcerebellum. Some advocate that, because similar brain regions are involved in both physical pain and psychological pain, we should see pain as a continuum that ranges from purely physical to purely psychological.
Moreover, many sources mention the fact that we use metaphors of physical pain to refer to psychological pain experiences
Borderline personality disorder has long been believed to be the one psychiatric disorder that produced the most intense emotional pain, agony, and distress in those who suffer with this condition. Studies have shown that borderline patients experience chronic and significant emotional suffering and mental agony. Borderline patients may feel overwhelmed by negative emotions, experiencing intense grief instead of sadness, shame and humiliation instead of mild embarrassment, rage instead of annoyance and panic instead of nervousness.
According to psychologist C. Nathan DeWall who led the study, "The idea—that a drug designed to alleviate physical pain should reduce the pain of social rejection—seemed simple and straightforward based on what we know about neural overlap between social and physical pain systems. To my surprise, I couldn't find anyone who had ever tested this idea."
The scientists believe acetaminophen helps social pain and hurt feelings because the same mechanisms in the brain that produce physical pain also lead to psychological pain.
For the study, researchers used the "Hurt Feelings Scale" - a measurement tool accepted for wide use by psychologists, seen as a valid measure of social pain. Individuals in the study who took placebo did not experience the same diminished feelings of social pain, indicating that acetaminophen-paracetamol, over time, was effective for reducing feelings of social rejection and hurt.
Research suggests that physical pain and psychological pain may share some underlying neurological mechanisms.
Brain regions that were consistently found to be implicated in both types of pain are the anterior cingulate cortex and prefrontal cortex(some subregions more than others), and may extend to other regions as well. Brain regions that were also found to be involved in psychological pain include the insular cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, thalamus, parahippocampal gyrus, basal ganglia, andcerebellum. Some advocate that, because similar brain regions are involved in both physical pain and psychological pain, we should see pain as a continuum that ranges from purely physical to purely psychological.
Moreover, many sources mention the fact that we use metaphors of physical pain to refer to psychological pain experiences
Borderline personality disorder has long been believed to be the one psychiatric disorder that produced the most intense emotional pain, agony, and distress in those who suffer with this condition. Studies have shown that borderline patients experience chronic and significant emotional suffering and mental agony. Borderline patients may feel overwhelmed by negative emotions, experiencing intense grief instead of sadness, shame and humiliation instead of mild embarrassment, rage instead of annoyance and panic instead of nervousness.
