Why might patients with a psychiatric history experience issues with pain management?

Patients with a psychiatric history might experience issues with pain management because their pain is often undertreated. This is frequently due to various factors, including communication barriers that can arise from their psychiatric condition, potential biases in healthcare providers’ assessments, or the complexity of managing both pain and psychiatric symptoms simultaneously.

Patients with psychiatric conditions may express their pain differently, which can lead healthcare providers to misinterpret the severity or nature of their complaints. Moreover, there can be a stigma associated with seeking help for pain, particularly when a psychiatric diagnosis is involved, leading to reluctance in discussing pain management needs openly. This combination can result in inadequate treatment plans and insufficient pain relief. Therefore, the holistic treatment approach must consider both physical and mental health to ensure effective pain management in these individuals.