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Opioids and Pain: The Dark Side of the Moon

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Mental Health and Pain

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Abstract

Pain is a crucial survival mechanism that alerts the body of danger. Following injury, acute pain is felt in the area specific to the site of injury and persists until the wound has healed. However, sometimes acute pain develops into chronic pain long after the organic healing process has come to an end. Treating pain often requires the use of opioids, which are highly addictive psychoactive substances. Opioids are used for their rapid and highly effective analgesic effects. The topic of chronic pain is widely studied and quite complex, while the study of addiction is equally dense. This chapter focuses on how pain and opiate addiction intertwine to provide the reader with a glimpse into the clinical implications of pain and addiction.

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Acknowledgments

SP is holder of a Junior 1 Young Investigator Award from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec en Santé, and receives financial support from the Centre de recherche Fernand-Seguin and the Louis-H Lafontaine Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinique Nouveau Depart, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Katherine Stavro

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Centre de recherche Fernand-Seguin, University of Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Stéphane Potvin

Authors
  1. Katherine Stavro
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  2. Stéphane Potvin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stéphane Potvin .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre de Recherche Clinique Etienne Le Bel, Sherbrooke, Canada

    Serge Marchand

  2. EPS Barthélémy Durand, Etampes, France

    Djéa Saravane

  3. Faculté de médecine et CRCELB, Sherbrooke, Canada

    Isabelle Gaumond

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Stavro, K., Potvin, S. (2014). Opioids and Pain: The Dark Side of the Moon. In: Marchand, S., Saravane, D., Gaumond, I. (eds) Mental Health and Pain. Springer, Paris. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-2-8178-0414-9_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-2-8178-0414-9_13

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Paris

  • Print ISBN: 978-2-8178-0413-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-2-8178-0414-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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