Chronic pain: a silent killer

Kang and colleagues list important points to consider when assessing patients with chronic pain. But they don’t specifically mention suicide risk in this patient population.1The risk of death from suicide is at least twice as high in people with chronic pain as in those without.2 Even when controlling for comorbid psychiatric conditions, aspects of chronic pain can increase risk of suicidality.3 Although this increased risk is probably multifactorial, it should alert clinicians to the need to conduct a thorough mental health assessment in this patient group, which should include assessing for suicide risk. Chincholkar and Blackshaw recently provided a comprehensive overview of the assessment and management of suicidality in patients with chronic pain.4These patients are often viewed as “heartsink” in primary care because we have limited time to deal with such complexities and might feel powerless to help. Nick Wood,5 a clinical psychologist and academic with a history of chronic…
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