Debilitating chronic pain affects more than 1 in 5 New Zealanders and is increasing among New Zealanders who are over
55, particularly for Māori, according to the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP).
The Chair of New Zealand Faculty of Consultation Liaison Psychiatry, Dr Adam Sims, said, ‘The need to invest in the pain
services is now urgent, this is a physical and mental health care issue as well as an equity issue’.
Dr Sims welcomed the recent report from the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists, which highlights the
costs to the NZ community of chronic pain and specific system changes, including investing in best practice care and
improving data capture.
‘Chronic pain affects the mind and body, yet is often invisible to others, so the impact it has on mental health,
lifestyle, general health, family and work is frequently misunderstood. People who access pain medicine services have
better outcomes because all these dimensions are treated’.
Dr Sims emphasised that consultation–liaison psychiatry is a specialty within the field of psychiatry and offers
significant benefits to those suffering from chronic pain.
‘These psychiatrists work in a particularly holistic way to bridge the gap for people with mental health and physical
problems, helping them to overcome barriers to accessing pain services and linking people to a range of therapies and
interventions’.
However, as Dr Paul Vroegop who is trained in both medical sub-specialities stressed, both pain specialists and
consultation–liaison psychiatrists are in severely short supply in New Zealand and this situation requires urgent
action.
‘Without addressing the specialist workforce shortages, the ever expanding population of chronic pain sufferers will
remain untreated, or they may receive little more than medication to manage their pain which could result in increased
opioid dependence nationwide’, said Dr Vroegop.
Dr Sam McBride, Chair of the RANZCP New Zealand Faculty of Addiction Psychiatry, warned that the inability to access
specialist pain services risks a reliance on medications such as opioids which will have little benefit on functioning,
may worsen chronic pain and result in addiction and associated harms to the individual and others.
‘We know that linking people to integrated, multidisciplinary models of care will improve outcomes of health and
wellbeing – evidence shows this reduces the amount of pain medication required and can reduce the burden on other health
services’.
Dr McBride said, ‘The report provides solid evidence – upfront investment in pain management services and informing
consumers and carers would produce long-term gain for people of all ages and ultimately for the health system’.