Exploring a bio-psychological intervention for painful diabetic neuropathy

Abstract

Painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN) is a major clinical manifestation of diabetes associated with damage to the nerves. The etiology and prognosis of PDN is multi-dimensional, needing a multi-faceted approach for management. The chronic pain associated with PDN is considered a painful crises that involves psychological complications in addition to the mere sensations. A repeated attempt to solve the problem of pain from a biomedical perspective has resulted in a cycle of low health quality of life, sleep disturbance, depression, anxiety and pain catastrophizing. An effective treatment of PDN would require pharmacotherapies supplemented by non-pharmacological approaches like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and hypnosis (HYP).