National survey calls for more research and support for Australians living with chronic pain

One in five Australians suffer chronic pain but a worrying report has revealed how many people are neglecting care due to the rising cost of treatments and medications.

The cost of living crisis is causing major headaches for people with chronic pain.

Many Australians living with chronic pain are continuing to put off dental care, eye checks and even cancer screenings, saying that the rising cost of treatments and medications has them neglecting other areas of their health.

One in two who responded to the latest National Pain Survey released on Monday also said they had thought of suicide in the last year because of their chronic pain.

National volunteer advocacy group Chronic Pain Australia says it surveyed almost 3000 adults who are living with the condition or are carers.

National president Nicolette Ellis says there are over 3.6 million Australians struggling with the impact of daily pain, and many can’t access or afford care.

About 3000 people were surveyed for the report.

The pharmacist says it is the first time the online survey has also looked at suicide ideation in people living with chronic pain, the leading cause of disability globally.

“We received ethics approval to put that question to respondents,” Ms Ellis said.

“The results were really upsetting, but important as they showed the impact of chronic pain on mental health.

“Without access to patient-centred care, people living with chronic pain are forced to give up several important health-promoting activities for physical and mental health.

“Left unaddressed, there is a risk that a lifetime of disability is on the cards for many.”

She said one in five Australians live with chronic pain, a statistic that also applies to children, and that there are 500 types with back pain, depression, neck pain, migraines and abdominal and pelvic pain in the top 10.

“The plethora of the conditions makes it difficult for us to explain to the community and to governments what chronic pain is and what we need in terms of funding,” Ms Ellis said.

“So we have to be loud; that’s the purpose of this survey, to make sure that the people with lived experiences are heard.”

Men, she said, reported in the survey they had become reclusive and isolated because they felt they had lost their identity and many were no longer able to work.

Many women living with chronic pain felt their symptoms were not taken seriously by some health professionals, family, friends or work colleagues.

Chronic Pain Australia, Ms Ellis says, has 30,000 members with the highest representation from women and the LGBTIQA+ community.

“We positioned the National Pain Survey this year to pick up a larger male audience because they don’t engage as much,” she said.

Ms Ellis said the financial cost of chronic pain in Australia was estimated to be $80 billion annually – greater, she said, than the cost of heart disease, cancer and diabetes combined.

In May the Australian Chiropractors Association released data revealing what it described as the true impact of headaches on the lives of 65 per cent of Australians at a cost of over $35.7 billion annually.

Two months earlier the federal government announced Australia’s first Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Clinics to provide expert, multidisciplinary services and care for women with endometriosis and pelvic pain; a condition that affects one in nine women in Australia.

Ms Ellis said recommendations from this year’s survey include asking for more funding for dedicated research with input from people with lived experience and ongoing funding for Australia’s 31 Primary Health Networks.

It also called for a dedicated telehealth multidisciplinary pain management team for those who cannot access high-quality pain management in their local region, in particular for those in regional and rural Australia.