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Problematizing Pain: Medical, Social and Commercial Approaches to Pain

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Abstract

This chapter explores the concept of pain in the medical, social and commercial fields. This chapter discusses the way general medicine approaches pain and the use of pain medications to treat it. The chapter highlights the different ways in which pain, and chronic pain in particular, is understood and treated within different areas of medical practice. The chapter also explores the way the specialty of pain medicine understands pain, medication use and ‘addiction’. Finally, it explores the blurring boundaries between pain, anxiety and discomfort in late-modern consumer culture.

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  1. School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia

    George C. Dertadian

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Dertadian, G.C. (2019). Problematizing Pain: Medical, Social and Commercial Approaches to Pain. In: A Fine Line. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1975-4_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1975-4_4

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