Do Doctors Believe The Pain?
There can be many challenges that arise when living with a chronic condition. Some may be short-lived, while others may become part of a person’s daily life. One of these common, long-term experiences is chronic pain.
To find out more about this experience, we surveyed nearly 5,000 people living with a chronic condition and long-term pain. Many people who participated in our Chronic Pain In America Survey explained how their long-term pain has impacted their relationship with their doctor or healthcare provider.
Why are people not seeing their doctor for pain?
There are many reasons why people with chronic pain might be seeing a doctor less or not at all to manage their pain. Many people shared that one of the most common reasons for not seeing a doctor for pain was overall dissatisfaction. This may be frustration that their doctor does not take them seriously when it comes to pain or is unable to provide pain relief.
Some people even felt like their doctor was disrespectful when it came to managing pain.
- 54 percent said their doctor has made them feel like a drug seeker or abuser at some point
- 66 percent said the current opioid epidemic has made this sense of judgment worse
- 31 percent said they avoid asking their doctor for pain medication because they worry they will be treated as a drug seeker
- These responses show that potential stigma and misunderstanding from doctors is a barrier to people finding and talking about care to manage pain.
Other reasons people do not see a doctor for pain included:
- Cost
- Lack of insurance
- Controlling pain with alternative therapies
- Difficulty traveling to appointment
- Learning to cope with the pain on their own
Discussions about pain with doctors
Only 54 percent of people felt that they and their doctors were in agreement about their level of pain. About half said their doctor had talked to them about potential side effects of pain medications, the risk of addiction to specific pain medications, pain treatment options, and changes in pain levels. This means that half of all people are not having these discussions or feel as though they and their doctors are not on the same page.
- 44 percent said their doctor asks them how their pain impacts their quality of life
- 43 percent said their doctor works with them to develop a pain management plan that fits with their lifestyle and preferences
- 40 percent said their doctor recommends or encourages alternative treatments
- 36 percent said their doctor has developed a plan that meets their needs and manages pain
These results show that discussions and understanding of chronic pain are not common. There is plenty of room for improvement when it comes to talking about treatment options, effectiveness, side effects, and alternative therapies.
People with chronic pain want doctors to be more understanding
When asked what the 1 thing they wished their doctor knew about them and their pain, people said they wished their doctor was more understanding. Other things people wished their doctors understood included:
- The severity of their pain
- Pain can be excruciating, debilitating, and exhausting
- People are not faking their pain or symptoms
- They are not drug seekers and are only looking for ways to cope and stop the pain
Many also wished their doctor would spend more time listening to them about their chronic pain. Other people shared that they feel their doctor has a condescending and judgmental attitude about their pain. These issues often cause barriers to people having open, honest conversations with their doctor about their chronic pain.
Pain is more than physical
Many people also wished their doctor realized that their pain is much more than physical. Other answers about how pain affects peoples’ lives included:
- Ruins one’s quality of life
- Constant fear that the pain will never go away
- Causes them to miss out on important life events
- Impacts their marriage
- Interferes with being independent
- Makes it hard to take care of children
- Impacts mental health
- Has taken away much of the joy in their life
- It is hard to wake up every day in pain
- Each of these experiences can take a serious toll on outlook and well-being.
If you or a loved one are experiencing many of these frustrations and debilitating aspects of living with chronic pain, you are not alone. How do you navigate conversations with your doctor about pain? Are they supportive, or are there things you wish would improve in your relationship and pain management?
The Chronic Pain in America 2019 survey took place from mid-September through mid-October of 2019. The 4,725 respondents were recruited from Health Union’s Community channels, as well as the U.S. Pain Foundation.
Community Poll
Have you used our Forums section to ask a question?
Join the conversation