Treating Depression in People with Chronic Pain
Systematic review of effectiveness of clinical interventions on depressive symptoms in people with all types of chronic pain.
Chronic Pain and Depression Study
Overview
UPDATE: We are no longer recruiting participants for this study at this time.
Thank you for your interest.
Please stay tuned for results coming in Winter 2024.
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This study examines if online-delivered meditation or education can help people with chronic pain and depressed symptoms. Because many people with chronic pain already take many medications, and since many medications can interact, we need to study non-pharmacological treatments. Also, we need treatments that can reach a lot of people at a low cost since the opioid crisis has affected so many Canadians, and there can be very long waits to see chronic pain specialists and psychiatrists.
We build on this research by studying online, easy-to-learn programs to see if they can help to improve depression in people with chronic pain (Note: the original study was designed to be in-person, but was revised in response to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions). We will also look to see if these programs can reduce pain, improve function, reduce opioid use and improve quality of life.
This research will help several large mental health and family medicine organizations understand how non-pharmacological programs might help their clients. Results from this study will also be used to develop policy for the opioid crisis.
Project Team
Darren K. Cheng
Dr. Ross Upshur
Dr. Abhimanyu Sud
Dr. Michelle Nelson
Dr. Robert Simpson
Dr. Joel Katz
Dr. Rahim Moineddin
Dr. Benoit Mulsant
Dr. Akshya Vasudev
Dr. Michelle Greiver
Andrew Galley
Ronnie Newman
Dr. Leon Rivlin
Kirk Foat
Dr. Michelle Naimer, Sinai Health
Rebecca Sytnyk, Sinai Health
Dr. Andrea Furlan, Toronto Rehab Institute
Dr. John Flannery, Toronto Rehab Institute
Dr. Rachael Bosma, Women’s College Hospital
Nida Mustafa, Women’s College Hospital
Dr. Chadwick Chung, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College
Dr. Andrew Pinto, St. Michael’s Hospital
Funding