CHRONIC PAIN: A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE, A QUESTION FOR PSYCHOANALYSIS

The article presents a patient care proposal for those whose pain is chronic according to a psychoanalytical theory. To do so, it is contextualized a biomedical approach of such pain in order to point out some attempts to build relief treatments. It seeks to focus on chronic pain, especially when it comes to fibromyalgia. Epidemiological data shows a considerable number of patients who suffer from chronic pain and it also shows that it has increased considerably the number of license applications and absence from work. This scenario indicates that pain should be seen a public health issue. The Brazilian Ministerio da Saude has stated that providing patient care for such demand is crucial. Considering the limits of biomedical treatment, a specific approach of patient care service named clinic of pain has emerged, which assistance is interdisciplinary. This setting allows proposing the implementation of a Service of Investigation and Monitoring Patients with Chronic Pain, which theory is psychoanalytical. This text seeks to show its contributions and features.