The biopsychosocial approach to chronic pain: scientific advances and future directions. (2007). Psychological Bulletin, 133(4), 581-624. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.4.581 Chronic pain is a major physical and mental health issue in the United States, affecting a significant portion of the population. Recent research has made significant advances in understanding the etiology, assessment, and treatment of chronic pain. The biopsychosocial model is now widely accepted as the most heuristic approach to chronic pain. This model considers biological, psychological, and social factors in understanding and treating chronic pain. The article reviews the basic neuroscience processes of pain (the bio part of biopsychosocial), as well as the psychosocial factors, and discusses the development of new technologies, such as brain imaging, that provide new insights into brain-pain mechanisms. The biopsychosocial model focuses on both disease and illness, with illness being viewed as the complex interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors. Disease is defined as an objective biological event involving the disruption of specific body structures or organ systems caused by anatomical, pathological, or physiological changes. In contrast, illness refers to a subjective experience or self-attribution that a disease is present. The distinction between disease and illness is analogous to the distinction between nociception and pain. Nociception involves the stimulation of nerves that convey information about potential tissue damage to the brain. In contrast, pain is the subjective perception that results from the transduction, transmission, and modulation of sensory information. The article discusses the nociceptive process, early biomedical models, the gate control theory of pain, the neuromatrix theory of pain, the neuroscience of pain, and genetics. It also covers electrophysiology, which is the study of the electrical activity of neurons. The article highlights the importance of understanding the biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to chronic pain and the need for a multidisciplinary approach to its treatment. The article also discusses the role of the brain in pain processing and the impact of psychological and social factors on pain perception and experience. The article concludes with a discussion of the future directions for research on chronic pain, emphasizing the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the complex interactions between biological, psychological, and social factors in the experience and treatment of chronic pain.The biopsychosocial approach to chronic pain: scientific advances and future directions. (2007). Psychological Bulletin, 133(4), 581-624. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.4.581 Chronic pain is a major physical and mental health issue in the United States, affecting a significant portion of the population. Recent research has made significant advances in understanding the etiology, assessment, and treatment of chronic pain. The biopsychosocial model is now widely accepted as the most heuristic approach to chronic pain. This model considers biological, psychological, and social factors in understanding and treating chronic pain. The article reviews the basic neuroscience processes of pain (the bio part of biopsychosocial), as well as the psychosocial factors, and discusses the development of new technologies, such as brain imaging, that provide new insights into brain-pain mechanisms. The biopsychosocial model focuses on both disease and illness, with illness being viewed as the complex interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors. Disease is defined as an objective biological event involving the disruption of specific body structures or organ systems caused by anatomical, pathological, or physiological changes. In contrast, illness refers to a subjective experience or self-attribution that a disease is present. The distinction between disease and illness is analogous to the distinction between nociception and pain. Nociception involves the stimulation of nerves that convey information about potential tissue damage to the brain. In contrast, pain is the subjective perception that results from the transduction, transmission, and modulation of sensory information. The article discusses the nociceptive process, early biomedical models, the gate control theory of pain, the neuromatrix theory of pain, the neuroscience of pain, and genetics. It also covers electrophysiology, which is the study of the electrical activity of neurons. The article highlights the importance of understanding the biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to chronic pain and the need for a multidisciplinary approach to its treatment. The article also discusses the role of the brain in pain processing and the impact of psychological and social factors on pain perception and experience. The article concludes with a discussion of the future directions for research on chronic pain, emphasizing the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the complex interactions between biological, psychological, and social factors in the experience and treatment of chronic pain.