Product Description

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Chronic pain is the leading cause of disability in the United States, affecting as many as 48 million people in this country alone. It can demoralize and depress both patient and family, especially when there is no effective pain control and no hope for relief. Improperly managed, chronic pain can lead to substance abuse (usually painkillers) and to acute psychological and emotional distress. Pain begets stress and stress begets pain in a wretched downward spiral.

Silver reviews the causes and characteristics of chronic pain and explores its impact on individual family relationships and on the extended family, covering such issues as employment, parenting, childbearing and inheritance, and emotional health. Silver treats aspects of chronic pain not covered in a typical office visit: how men and women differ in their experience of chronic pain, the effect of chronic pain on a toddler's behavior or an older child's performance in school, the risks of dependence on and addiction to pain medications, and practical ways for relatives beyond the immediate family circle to offer help and support to the person in pain.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #406470 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Anyone who has experienced chronic pain knows how debilitating and disruptive it can be. But pain doesn’t only affect the sufferer; according to medical professor Silver, it "is a familial experience that dramatically changes the dynamics of the family." In this latest entry in Harvard University’s useful series of concise guides for families aiding sick members, Silver examines how family relationships can be affected by chronic pain: the impact on parents of suffering children, and on children of suffering parents, the role of extended family, the effect on intimacy and sexual activity, and more. Silver clearly discusses medication and other treatments as well, including alternative medicine. Useful sidebars deal with specific issues: one suggests ways to eliminate unhelpful chronic pain behaviors that can alienate friends; another gives a list of pain medications associated with sexual dysfunction. Silver’s advice is wise and sensible, based on her own years of practice with chronic pain patients and, though her book is by no means comprehensive, it’s a good place to start.
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Review
In this latest entry in Harvard University's useful series of concise guides for families aiding sick members, Silver examines how family relationships can be affected by chronic pain: the impact on parents of suffering children, and on children of suffering parents, the role of extended family, the effect on intimacy and sexual activity, and more. Silver clearly discusses medication and other treatments as well, including alternative medicine. Useful sidebars deal with specific issues: one suggests ways to eliminate unhelpful chronic pain behaviors that can alienate friends; another gives a list of pain medications associated with sexual dysfunction. Silver's advice is wise and sensible, based on her own years of practice with chronic pain patients. (Publishers Weekly )

About the Author
Julie K. Silver, M.D., is Medical Director of the Outpatient Center at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. She is the author of Post-Polio Syndrome: A Guide for Polio Survivors and Their Families.

Customer Reviews

Julie Silver is as remarkable a writer as she is a physician
"Chronic Pain and the Family" is written for the family and friends of someone who suffers from severe pain all of the time. This is not to say that someone who is in pain won't benefit from this book; it's a book that serves all well and is applicable to all kinds of pain. Despite that, Dr.Silver adresses the important impact that someone's pain has on his family and friends. It is not possible that those who surround a situation are not affected by it in many ways. Why should it be different for chronic pain? Silver's book takes us from the very definition of pain, through all elements of pain, children, teens, the extended family, medication and potential addiction, depression, diagnosis as well as alternative therapy. Dr. Silver is knowledgable about the subject and seemingly still aware that the patients about whom she writes are human. This is an excellent book for anyone who has been in pain or knows someone who has pain.