Presenter: Una Makris, MD, UT Southwestern Medical Center
Chronic musculoskeletal pain (including chronic back pain) and comorbid mental health diagnoses (including depression) remain common, costly and challenging to manage. Dr. Makris will discuss the development of a behavioral intervention that simultaneously targets chronic back pain and depression in older adults. Core intervention components include patient activation, motivational interviewing, and goal setting that are employed to improve outcomes most relevant to older adults with comorbid physical pain and mental health diagnoses.