People With Chronic Pain Not Getting Mental Health Care: Seek Help Now

Mental health problems like anxiety and depression usually coexist with other physical health conditions. If you live with chronic pain, you're more likely to experience anxiety and depression symptoms than other people without chronic pain.

In a shocking study, researchers have found that anxiety and depression are more common in people with chronic pain than people without chronic pain. As bad as that is, very few of these people seek treatment for their mental illness.

The study has some alarming stats that I summarize below:

Half of all US adults with clinical anxiety and depression also have chronic pain. These people represent 20.4% of the American population.
Adults with chronic pain are about 5 times more likely to have untreated symptoms of anxiety or depression than people without chronic pain.
An individual living with both chronic pain and anxiety/depression is about 2 times more likely to get suboptimal results for their mental illness.
Among all American adults with mental health needs, chronic pain reduced their odds of seeking psychiatric treatment by 40.3%
Mental illness in people with chronic pain is less talked about than when it coexists with other health conditions.

Why do fewer people with chronic pain seek psychiatric care?

It's hard to say. The last point above may contribute to why few people with chronic pain are going for psychiatric care. Many may attribute their negative feelings to the chronic pain. It becomes less likely that they'd consider seeing a psychiatrist.

Also, people with chronic pain may find it physically exhausting to visit a therapist regularly.

"There are many possible reasons an individual with chronic pain might get suboptimal results from mental health care, including the accessibility of care and the feasibility of attending appointments," said lead author Jennifer S. De La Rosa, PhD.

Get help

Let's face it; it's difficult to leave your place of comfort to transit a far distance to visit a mental health care provider every now and then, despite your unending pain.

Still, you need the help.

That's why at Hope Mental Health, we provide video conferencing to make life much easier.

We understand what you're going through and want to help.

Author

Satu H. Woodland, PMHCNS-BC, APRN Satu Woodland is owner and clinician of Hope Mental Health, an integrative mental health practice located at Bown Crossing in Boise, Idaho. She sees children, adolescents, and adults. Ms. Woodland with her background in nursing, prefers a holistic and integrative approach to mental health care that addresses the mind and body together. While Ms. Woodland provides medication management services in all her patients, she believes in long-lasting solutions that include a number of psychotherapies, namely cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure and response prevention therapy, attention to lifestyle, evidenced based alternative psychiatric care and spirituality. If you’d like to gain control over your mental health issues, call Hope Mental Health at 208-918-0958, or use the online scheduling tool to set up an initial consultation.