This practice guide describes an approach to psychological evaluation of the chronic pain patient who is being considered for surgery. It identifies a multitude of risk factors for poor surgical outcome and reviews research associated with each risk factor.

Pain syndromes involve a complex interaction of medical and psychological factors. In each syndrome unique physiological mechanisms are mediated by emotional states, personality traits, and environmental pressures to determine the nature and extent of pain complaints and pain-related disability. The Handbook addresses the complexities of chronic pain in three ways.

Section I describes general concerns that cross-cut the different syndromes, such as the use of narcotic pain medications, the detection of deception and malingering, and the epidemiology of pain. Section II presents...