Ninety percent of young people who are living with chronic pain in Australia have reported being ignored by doctors, with many contemplating suicide.
The 2024 National Pain Survey found reverse ageism created stigma and barriers to care for younger Australians.
Chronic Pain Australia President Nicolette Ellis said nine in 10 respondents, between the ages of 18 and 34 years, reported being ignored or dismissed by health professionals.
Ms Ellis said significantly more in this age group had experienced thoughts of self-harm or taking their own lives, with many making an attempt at suicide.
“They also struggle more with mental health issues and lack of productivity at work, among other life changes resulting from their pain,” she said.
Ms Ellis said the report, which surveyed 2600 people living with chronic pain, found the impact was not just on the person living with the condition, it affected the entire economy and society.
“This is because nearly half of survey respondents have had to stop working because of their pain and almost 30 percent have had to limit their hours,” she said.
“This is of particular concern, because 47 percent of respondents are in their prime earning years, generally considered to be the years between 25 to 64 years old.”
Ms Ellis said as well as taking a toll on their work lives, respondents said that the strain of their condition was damaging or destroying their relationships, with two-thirds of respondents feeling that their condition put strain on their relationships with family.
She said more than 60 percent reported reduced intimacy or a struggle to have sex as a result of their pain.
“Nearly half struggled to pick up, carry or play with their children,” she said.
Ms Ellis said support and treatment was still taking too long, with 45 percent of respondents saying it took longer than three years to get a diagnosis.
“Women and non-binary respondents are slower to be diagnosed with chronic pain, with nearly half of women and almost 60 percent of non-binary respondents waiting more than 3 years for a diagnosis,” she said.
She said even once diagnosed, multidisciplinary care, which was considered the gold standard to tackle complex pain conditions, was not yet available to most respondents, with only 1 in 5 having been referred to a multidisciplinary pain management program or clinic.
“We know the well-evidenced solution, multidisciplinary pain management programs, must be made widely available in primary care settings, eliminating the 1-3 year wait for tertiary pain management. This should be a priority for any government that wants to increase productivity and promote the well-being of its citizens,” Ms Ellis said.
