The journal of pain : official journal of the American Pain Society
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Chronic pain is a prevalent and costly condition, with many patients receiving income support and funded treatment. Given that pain cannot be assessed objectively, patients may be suspected of exaggerating their pain and disability to receive additional funding. Although numerous methods of detecting malingering have been suggested, it is unclear whether clinicians can reliably identify malingering in patients with chronic pain. ⋯ Perspective: There is interest in the development of assessment tools to detect malingering in patients with chronic pain. An evaluation of methods reveals theoretical and empirical limitations that undermine the usefulness of these approaches. As yet, there is no reliable way for clinicians to identify malingering in patients with chronic pain.