Chronic pain can be intensified not only by physical factors but also by a specific psychological state that researchers call "mental defeat." This is the conclusion reached by scientists from the University of Warwick in the UK. Their study was published in the journal Pain.

By "mental defeat," researchers mean a state in which an individual begins to perceive pain as a force that has completely overtaken their life. People gradually lose their sense of control and start to believe that the illness is destroying their identity, relationships, and future. According to the study, this state can trigger a specific "spiral of suffering."

The study involved 137 individuals suffering from chronic pain of various origins. Over two separate two-week periods, participants completed detailed questionnaires three times a day, describing their well-being, thoughts, mood, and activity levels. The scientists compare this method to "scientific time-lapse photography," allowing them to see how a person’s sensations change throughout the day.

The results showed that surges in feelings of helplessness and internal defeat were almost always accompanied by an intensified focus on pain. Subsequently, people were more likely to avoid daily activities, withdraw into themselves, and feel more strongly that the pain was destroying their normal lives. Importantly, this mechanism functioned independently of the actual intensity of the pain, stress levels, or low mood. Scientists believe this is a distinct psychological process capable of magnifying suffering on its own.

The authors of the study also discovered a dangerous closed loop: the sense of defeat reinforced a negative self-perception, which in turn further increased the feeling of helplessness. This explains why some patients continue to experience severe emotional exhaustion even when the physical pain remains at a constant level.

Researchers believe these new findings could change the approach to chronic pain treatment. Instead of focusing exclusively on physical symptoms, doctors may begin to work more actively on the patient’s sense of loss of control, self-esteem, and perception of the future. In the long term, the scientists suggest using digital tools—such as mobile applications—that could track moments of psychological "slumps" and provide timely assistance to help the individual exit a dangerous emotional state.