hardpain assessmentdiagnostic overshadowingchronic paindepressioncomorbid assessmentcatastrophizing
A 47-year-old female with a history of major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder presents reporting worsening low back pain over the past 3 months. She rates her pain as 8 out of 10 on a numeric rating scale. She reports the pain has made her depression significantly worse and she has stopped exercising and socializing. She is tearful during the interview and states, 'Nobody takes my pain seriously because I have a mental health history.' Her primary care provider noted she has a 'tendency to catastrophize.' Which assessment approach is MOST appropriate for the PMHNP?