Image source: agoramedia.com
Pain management experts, like Dr. Melanie Novak, and the people behind the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine understand how chronic pain works. The problem is many people don’t.
An anesthesiologist at Vancouver General Hospital, Dr. Michael Negraeff shared his concerns about labeling chronic pain as a mental disorder in an interview for The Huffington Post. He believed that people dealing with persistent pain are already juggling heavy emotions, and judgmental looks from others will certainly not be of help.
“Worldwide, pain is one of the most significant causes of suffering, disability, and impairment,” Dr. Negraeff explains. “People living with persistent pain are four times as likely to attempt suicide as the general public.”
Image source: northeastpainmanagementclinic.com
The idea of mislabeling chronic pain as a psychological problem rather than a physical one stems from the absence of external signs and obvious symptoms. This is why this kind of pain is considered as an “invisible disease.” Unless they start to complain or talk about the pain, patients will continue to look normal to the people around them.
Dr. Negraeff reiterates the importance of providing support to people dealing with chronic pain, especially from the physicians. Doctors should never mindlessly dismiss complains on discomfort and distress because they do not have an idea of the extent of anxiety that the patients are dealing with.
For this reason, Dr. Negraeff asks a meaningful question to his colleagues: “Shouldn't our efforts be put towards pain management rather than on providing clinicians with excuses for not taking their patients' suffering seriously?”
Image source: smartpainmgmt.com
More information on the field of pain management can be found on this website.
