Psychiatric News Special Report: Rethinking Pain as a Dual Diagnosis

In this episode of Psychiatric News Special Report, host Dr. Sulman Aziz Mirza speaks with Dr. Alexander Niculescu about pain as more than a physical symptom alone. Their conversation explores the overlap between chronic pain and psychiatric conditions, the promise of precision psychiatry, and how biomarkers may help clinicians better assess risk, guide treatment, and rethink refractory pain. They also discuss the limitations of current approaches, the role of non-opioid interventions, and why psychiatrists are uniquely positioned to treat the whole person. Read this special report here: https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.pn.2026.03.3.28 PsychNews Special Report is a production of Psychiatric News, a media platform dedicated to serving as the primary and most trusted source of information for APA members, other psychiatrists and physicians, health professionals, and the public about developments in the field of psychiatry and mental health that impact clinical care and professional practice. Learn more at psychiatryonline.org/journal/pn