PsychiatryAI posts web mind‑body study
- PsychiatryAI highlighted an April 23 Pain Management study on Web-TIRELESS, a web-based mind-body program for adults with painful upper-extremity conditions and risky substance use, built from interviews with 19 patients. - The interviews found alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco were commonly used for pain, stress, or sleep, while patients rated the digital program positively for flexibility, privacy, and practical coping content. - The study extends a Massachusetts General Hospital mixed-methods program now moving into a 50-person feasibility randomized trial of Web-TIRELESS versus web-based usual care. (clinicaltrials.gov)
A new Pain Management paper says adults with chronic arm and hand pain who also use substances risky ways were broadly open to a web-based program that treats both problems together. (read.qxmd.com) (psychiatryai.com) The intervention is called Web-TIRELESS, short for Toolkit for Resilient Life beyond Pain and Substance Use. Researchers said it was designed for people with nontraumatic painful upper-extremity conditions and co-occurring risky substance use. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) (clinicaltrials.gov) The new qualitative study, published online April 23, 2026, interviewed 19 adults in semi-structured one-on-one sessions. The authors used thematic analysis to map how patients described pain, substance use, and the program’s usability. (read.qxmd.com) (psychiatryai.com) Pain and substance use can reinforce each other: pain can push people toward alcohol, cannabis, or tobacco, and those habits can complicate recovery, sleep, and coping. The study found many participants had limited awareness of that two-way relationship. (read.qxmd.com) (cedclinic.com) Participants said they often used alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco to manage pain, stress, or sleep problems. They also described functional decline, emotional distress, and frustration with limited symptom relief. (read.qxmd.com) (psychiatryai.com) Patients generally liked the web format for its flexibility, privacy, and accessibility. They said the content needed to feel credible, evidence-based, practical, and streamlined enough to finish. (read.qxmd.com) They also flagged limits. Researchers reported skepticism about whether the program would work, low motivation, and technology access as barriers, while live human support and reminder-based accountability were named as facilitators. (read.qxmd.com) This paper follows a 2024 protocol from Massachusetts General Hospital and collaborators that laid out a mixed-methods development plan for Web-TIRELESS. That protocol described a five-week asynchronous program and an initial open pilot before a larger randomized test. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) (ichgcp.net) That next step is now underway. A ClinicalTrials.gov record updated March 13, 2026, says investigators plan a 50-person feasibility randomized controlled trial comparing Web-TIRELESS with web-based minimally enhanced usual care, with study completion listed for November 2026. (clinicaltrials.gov) The study team spans psychiatry, orthopedics, and pain researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Syracuse University, Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, and other collaborators. The closing message from the patient interviews was narrower than a cure claim: people wanted integrated care that is flexible, practical, and backed by real human follow-up. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) (read.qxmd.com)
