About this Research Topic

Background

Stress is an emotional state caused by dangerous or unexpected changes in the external environment. Stress can originate from many aspects of life such as physical, psychological, and social culture, and it will not only cause physiological changes, but also induce psychological reactions. Pain is a complex physiological and psychological activity, encompassing both the painful sensation caused by the noxious stimulus acting on the body and the pain response of the body to the harmful stimulation. Pain can be classified into acute pain and chronic pain. Acute pain causes short-term discomfort, while chronic pain can be a contributing factor to mental illnesses. Stress and pain share a strong physiological linkage that one may cause the other. Persistent stress or pain could both lead to psychiatric disorders such as depression or anxiety; whilst people with psychiatric disorders tend to experience exacerbated pain or stress. However, the causal relationship between stress, pain and psychiatric diseases, among which the interrelated pathogenesis is complex and largely remain unknown leading to limited options for the therapeutic strategy for this comorbidity. Mental health is a global challenge and despite the progresses made in relation to the evaluation, diagnosis, psychological intervention and drug treatment of mental health disorders, it is yet to achieve satisfactory results in clinical practice.

The main purpose for this research topic is to investigate the interplay between stress, pain and psychiatric diseases, and conduct in-depth research on its comorbidity mechanism, so as to facilitate the treatment of stress reactions and pain, as well as broaden our understanding of related psychiatric diseases and improve clinical symptoms.

In this Research Topic, we welcome Original Research and Review articles in all areas relating but not limited to
• Potential molecular mechanisms of stress and pain in the context of psychiatric disorders,
• Evaluation methods of stress and pain as comorbidities to psychiatric disease,
• Treatment strategies, and
• Basic and clinical research on the interrelationship between stress, pain and psychiatric diseases.

Keywords: Stress, Pain, Depression, Molecular mechanisms, Comorbidity mechanism

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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