IndexMethodPrevalence of chronic painImpacts of chronic pain on activities of daily livingImpacts of chronic pain on emotional state and psychological functioningCauses and treatmentDiscussionConclusionThe International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP; 1994) defines pain as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage”. It can be further divided into two subcategories: acute pain and chronic pain. Acute pain is a normal, short-lived sensation that alerts individuals to potential injury while pain chronic is any pain that lasts more than twelve weeks and can be mild or severe. Chronic pain has a distinct pathology, causing changes throughout the nervous system that often worsen over time. It has significant psychological and cognitive correlates and can constitute an entity serious and separate pathology (Institute of Medicine, 2011, p.3). Some forms of chronic pain, such as pain resulting from fibromyalgia, can be controlled or treated with therapies; however chronic pain, such as neuropathic pain or migraines, can be much more difficult to diagnose and treat. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Chronic pain exists in almost all age groups. The type of chronic pain can be episodic or continuous, and the intensity of chronic pain can be mild and simply annoying, or excruciating and totally disabling, which can cause serious damage to the daily life of those who suffer from it. Chronic pain has also been found to have associations with other comorbid problems such as fatigue, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Furthermore, individuals suffering from chronic pain are at greater risk of suicide than pain-free community controls (Fishbain, Bruns, Disorbio, & Lewis, 2009). Various studies have been conducted to investigate different aspects of chronic pain. This review will briefly cover the prevalence of chronic idiopathic pain (i.e., non-cancer-related pain), its impact on sufferers' quality of life and their emotional state, followed by an overview of the causes and treatments of chronic pain, and will also discuss several pros and cons of some of the studies covered. Method Three main tools were used in the reviewed studies, namely the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), the Verbal Descriptor Scale (VBS) and the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ). The NRS is a form given to patients to rate the intensity of pain on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 indicates "no pain" and 10 indicates "excruciating pain." VBS is a measurement in which sufferers are asked questions and respond verbally by choosing from terms such as “none,” “mild,” “mild,” “moderate,” and “severe.” MPQ measures different dimensions of pain experience such as pain location, pain pattern over time, pain intensity, etc. (Melzack, 1975). Methods adopted by other studies include the pain diary, which is a record of pain that participants were asked to keep daily (usually for three weeks), and computer-assisted telephone interviews. Prevalence of Chronic Pain The prevalence of chronic pain in different age groups has shown increasing trends across the world. In two studies conducted in Europe and Canada with larger sample sizes (n1=46,394, n2=69,365) and with an average age of 45 years, the prevalence of chronic pain (NRS ≥ 5) was approximately 16 % (Breivik, Collett, Ventafridda, Cohen, & Gallacher, 2006; Both studies and another study (Boulanger, Clark, Squire, Cui & Horbay, 2007), also conducted in Canada,found that chronic pain was reported more often in women. Furthermore, 25% of 5,423 participants aged 4 to 18 years were found to have suffered from chronic pain for more than 3 months, and the chronic pain reported by girls was significantly higher than by boys (Perquina, Hazebroek-Kmpschreurb, Hunfeldc, Bohnena, Suijlekom-Smitd, Passchierc and Woudena, 2000). All four studies found that the prevalence of chronic pain increased with age. Impacts of chronic pain on activities of daily living Chronic pain has been found to be destructive to the patient's daily activities. According to Breivik et al., many of the sufferers were less able or no longer able to take part in various activities such as exercising, walking, attending social activities and maintaining an independent lifestyle. Most of them said that activities during the day had drastically worsened the pain. Furthermore, almost one in five sufferers have lost their job due to pain (2006). A chronic pain study of 128 adolescents found that adolescents' social functioning (such as interacting with siblings and peers) and functional status (such as the ability to perform daily tasks) were also strongly affected by chronic pain (Hunfeld, Perquin, Duivenvoorden, Hazebroek-Kampschreur, Passchier, Suijlekom-Smit and Wouden, 2001). Children and adolescents with chronic pain often report disturbances in sleep and eating habits, reduced participation in social activities or hobbies, and school absences (Roth-Isigkeit, Thyen, Stoven, Schwarzenberger, & Schmucker, 2005). Furthermore, many children with chronic pain had significant problems with comorbid fatigue, an overwhelming sense of tiredness, lack of energy, and feelings of exhaustion (Krupp & Pollina, 1996), causing impaired attention and memory (Gold, Mahrer, Yee and Palermo, 2009). Furthermore, chronic pain was found to have a significant impact on families where parents with children who reported suffering from chronic pain tended to be more controlling and protective (Hunfeld et al., 2001). Impacts of chronic pain on emotional state and psychological functioning. they have been found to have a huge impact on the emotional state and psychological functioning of sufferers. It was found that 20% of sufferers were diagnosed with depression due to pain (Breivik et al., 2006). Results from 85,088 participants from 17 countries indicated that those suffering from back or neck pain were two to three times more likely to have had panic disorder (PD), agoraphobia or social anxiety disorder (SAD). and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or PTSD. (Demyttenaere, Bruffaerts and Lee, 2007). Additionally, data showed that women with fibromyalgia were four to five times more likely to have a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder, or GAD than those without (Raphael, Janal, Nayak , Schwartz and Gallagher, 2006). ). Anxiety disorders have also been found in the majority of subjects suffering from chronic pain (Fumundson & Katz, 2009). According to Hunfeld et al. (2001), it was found that children reported with chronic pain were associated with poorer psychological functioning. These children would tend to have a greater association with negative emotions such as stress and depression and a lesser association with positive emotions such as optimism, humor and harmony. Furthermore, chronic pain was negatively associated with alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking (Rashiq & Dick, 2009). It was also associated with a specific cognitive deficit, which could impact daily behavior especially in risky and emotional situations).