2015 Articles

Chronic pain, mental health and substance use disorders: how can we manage this triad in our healthcare system and in our communities?

Ross, Sydelle

The use of opioid analgesics for the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain has become a topic of intense debate in the medical community. Over the last decade there has been a significant rise in the morbidity and mortality associated with the use of these medications. In patients with mental health and substance use disorders, prescribing opioid analgesics for chronic non-cancer pain is perhaps even more challenging. Deficits in training for clinicians, together with a lack of clinical guidelines, make the management of these patients even more difficult. This article serves to provide insight into the clinical management of these patients based on personal experience as well as current established guidelines. It also highlights some of the roles that we can play to help manage this societal problem.