Under certain circumstances, the consequences are grave. The patient feels as if he or she is not being taken seriously and becomes disillusioned. Even with younger patients, there is a danger of increasing helplessness, loss of hope, and, finally, resignation. The patient begins to arrange his or her entire life around the pain, withdrawing to live in the fear that he or she could burden others or irritate them with a seemingly never-ending disease. This condition can lead to serious depression. In the end there is not only pain, but also isolation - pain has won control of the patient. But actually it ought to be exactly opposite: The patient should gain control of the pain! To understand pain means understanding the patient.

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