The one study that we just reported on has implications for us. We know that it confirms what we believed—that there's a link between psychological distress caused from sexual discrimination and the experience of chronic pain—but it also means that when people.... The first recommendation is that people of course have to be able to come forward without concerns about retribution or about being safe. Also, then, when they come forward, they have to know that they're going to get treatment, not just for the psychological distress but also for the physical pain that is often going to be accompanying that.
We can't treat all cases of chronic pain the same and we can't treat them like they're coming just from a physical injury. Chronic pain can also come from sexual assault, sexual discrimination and chronic stress from these kinds of traumatic psychological exposures that women veterans are exposed to. They're going to need special treatment programs that help them deal in an integrated way with the psychological trauma as well as the physical pain.
I think that really confirms that the Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence needs to put forward and test new treatment approaches that incorporate a specialized approach that takes into consideration the unique nature of chronic pain when it's associated with sexual harassment and assault problems and the psychological distress that arises from them.
Ramesh is the expert in chronic pain management and is seeing many of these patients, and I'm hoping that he will also confirm what I've just said to you.