Addiction or Psuedoaddiction?

This is a poster that I did for a Pain Awareness Fair that was held the hospital where I was working last year. The poster is my attempt at trying to help health care professionals determine whether a patient is really an addict, or if their current pain management regimen is insufficient for one reason or another.

While manning my poster, I presented this example to the various doctors, nurses and patients who visited my poster:

A young woman who becomes a frequent visitor to an ER. She always complains of headache, for which she is treated and given a prescription for pain medication at discharge. The staff think she is an addict and express their concerns to the ER physician time and time again. The doctor, however, is unsure if this is the case or not.

After this pattern goes on for a time, the young woman returns to the ER to thank the staff for all their help. She says she's going off to college and asks the doctor for a prescription so she can get medication while away at school. As they say their good-byes, the doctor spots a classic car in the parking lot. The young woman tells him that this is her car, and that her brother, a mechanic fixed it up for her to drive. The doctor, who has an interest in vintage cars, asks if they can go for a quick ride in the car. So the two get into the car and as they drive around the parking lot, the young woman suddenly has a headache episode.

The doctor immediately takes his young patient back to the ER where a blood test confirms that the patient is NOT an addict. The real problem: the headache is being caused by carbon monoxide from the car's engine!

If you are a patient who has unresolved pain issues--do not give up! Work with your doctor and a true picture of what is going on will begin to emerge. As your doctor gets to know you as a person, and you build a rapport with him/her, you will be able to work together to attain the best pain control possible for your situation.

And now, as promised--here is the poster I presented:

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