PainRelief.com Interview with:

Lasse B. Sander, PhD
Institute of Psychology
Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Psychotherapy
Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg
Freiburg, Germany

PainRelief.com:  What is the background for this study?  What are the main findings?

Response: People with chronic pain have a significantly increased risk of developing depression. When depression and pain collide, this is a considerable burden for those affected. In addition, pain management is made more difficult due to comorbidity.

We have known for some years now that the onset of depression can be delayed or even completely prevented by means of early psychological therapies. However, until now there has been no scalable application option available for routine healthcare.

In our study we were able to show that this can be achieved by a digital self-help intervention.