The Stigma of Chronic Pain | Arthritis Information

Stigma: A Fact of Life for Those with Chronic Pain
"It's easy to be paranoid when you hurt like hell and you're at the mercy of the health care system," says Dr. Bernard Filner, a Rockville, Md., pain management physician and chronic pain sufferer. He sustained a whiplash injury in a car accident 10 years ago, and still experiences neck pain and headaches.

Stigma, as defined by The Random House Dictionary as "a blemish on one's record or reputation is a pervasive fact of life for people with chronic pain.

The most wide-spread misconception about chronic pain is that it results from a psychological disturbance. Other common misconceptions are that those with chronic pain should be able to tolerate pain better as time goes on, that they are using pain to obtain narcotics, and that they exaggerate their pain for secondary gains, that is, for sympathy or financial gain.

The impact of stigma on chronic pain sufferers is devastating. "Stigma is a magnifier of pain," says Roberto Anson, 41, of Silver Spring, Md. "It boils down to one word ? discrimination."

Chronic pain often presents sufferers with a real "catch 22" dilemma. If they talk about their pain, they risk being perceived and labeled as hypochondriacs, or even worse?fakers or malingerers. On the other hand, if they hide their pain, others don't believe the pain is significant. It is enough to tax the patience of the most stoic person.

Health care professionals who see pain patients every day agree emphatically that stigma makes an already bad situation worse. Dr. Paul Buongiorno, a Fairfax, Va., psychiatrist who serves as medical director for Northern Virginia's Fair Oaks Hospital's Pain Management Program, sees patients daily who suffer from guilt, demoralization, and depression due to the negative perceptions of others. "Others feel you should pull yourself up by your bootstraps," Buongiomo says. "I don't believe that, though. You can't just talk yourself out of it."

 

 

This passage describes how I feel every day! Nice to see it's not just me.