Moving Closer to An Inclusive Definition of Pain-related Suffering and Targeted Care

We thank Dr. Uddin for his interest and engagement with our Focus Article 1 Arman M Gebhardt A Hök Nordberg J Andermo S Women's lived experiences of chronic pain: Faces of gendered suffering. Qual Health Res. 2020; 30: 772-782 Crossref PubMed Scopus (9) Google Scholar on the nature of pain-related suffering. Dr. Uddin's letter touches on a number of important themes that can help expand the discussion on this foundational, but underdeveloped, construct. Below, we aim to offer an important clarification regarding how we understand pain-related suffering, while also contributing to some of the broader discussion on these themes. Pain-Related SufferingThe Journal of PainVol. 24Issue 3PreviewThe article by Stilwell et al opened an opportunity to advance pain-related suffering constructs and future research.1 The article shows clear room for bridging potential associations between pain and suffering. The authors demonstrated the 4 key attributes of pain-related suffering from the core concept of Eric Cassell on suffering and pointed out a key challenge of suffering as a “self-reflective and future-oriented process.” My comments are focused on this key challenge to suffering in the light of philosophical issues raised in Cassell's landmark paper,2 and the origin of the suffering concept. Full-Text PDF