IJERPH, Vol. 16, Pages 586: The Effect of the Treatment at a Pain Clinic on the Patients` Assessment of Their Pain Intensity and the Incidence of Mental Disorders in the form of Anxiety, Depression, and Aggression (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health)

The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of the treatment given to patients in a pain clinic on their assessment of pain intensity and the incidence of emotional disturbances in the form of anxiety, depression, and aggression. The study was conducted from January 2014 to April 2018 among patients under the care of two Warsaw pain clinics. The study tools were the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale—Modified Version (HADS-M) and the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). The project enrolled 325 patients, with women comprising 60.62% of patients, and the age bracked of 65–79 years comprising 39.38% of patient. The major reasons for attending the pain clinic were osteoarticular pain (44.92%) and neuropathic pain (42.77%). The therapy applied lowered the patients’ pain intensity (4.98 vs. 3.83), anxiety (8.71 vs. 8.12), aggression (3.30 vs. 3.08), and the overall HADS-M score (18.93 vs. 17.90), which shows that the treatment of both the pain symptoms and the associated emotional disturbances in the form of anxiety and aggression was effective. Sex is a factor affecting pain intensity. The level of mental disorders was influenced by the sex and age of the patients and how long they had been treated in the pain clinics.