Assessment and Treatment for Chronic Pain in Veterans With Serious Mental Illness
Completed · Not applicable
Conditions studied: Chronic Pain, Schizophrenia, Psychotic Disorders, Bipolar Disorder, Affective Disorders, Psychotic
In brief
Chronic pain has a highly negative impact on Veterans, especially those with serious mental illness (SMI). Chronic pain leads to poorer mental health and physical functioning, and represents a critical obstacle to rehabilitation and recovery. Despite known high prevalence rates of chronic pain in SMI populations, there is little research to: a) evaluate nonpharmacological pain management strategies in this population, and b) examine directional relations between chronic pain and SMI symptoms. This study aims to address research and clinical gaps by: a) testing the feasibility and acceptability of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP) - a VA evidence-based psychotherapy for chronic pain - in Veterans with SMI, and b) better assessing the complex relation between chronic pain and psychiatric symptoms and their impact on functioning. Results from this study will inform us as to whether CBT-CP is feasible to implement, acceptable to Veterans with SMI, and worth examining in its standard or in an optimized form in a larger clinical trial.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT04118283
- Run by
- VA Office of Research and Development
- People needed
- 47
- Starts
- 2021-03-18
- Expected to finish
- 2025-08-29
- Last updated by the study team
- 2025-09-23
Who can join
Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.
You may qualify if…
- Have a chronic musculoskeletal pain diagnosis
- Have a Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale (DVPRS) rating of 4 or greater for pain severity
- Meet criteria for an SMI diagnosis (schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder) per medical record
- 18 years of age or older
- Enrolled in outpatient programming within the VA Maryland Health Care System at time of consent/study reenrollment
- Have regular access to a telephone
- Capacity to sign informed consent
You may not qualify if…
- Are engaging in moderate-to-severe substance use that would impact their ability to participate and/or would require a higher level of care (as determined by treating provider)
- Engagement in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP), whether currently or in the past
- Have a current acute pain condition or limited mobility (i.e., unable to walk one city block) that would interfere with their ability to engage in CBT-CP interventions (e.g., activity pacing/walking program)
Where it is running
- Baltimore VA Medical Center VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD — Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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