It's Not in Your Head
Welcome to It's Not in Your Head Podcast, with Dan and Juz. Dr. Dan is a Sports Physician and Justine a Pain Coach and patient. We have come together to find ways to manage complex pain better for both patients and providers. New episodes will come out bi-weekly on all major platforms.
It's Not in Your Head
11 The Harm of Dismissing Chronic Pain: Why "It's in Your Head" Is Dangerous
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Trigger warning: This episode discusses suicide.
Chronic pain patients carry a 25% likelihood of having suicidal thoughts in the preceding two weeks — and research suggests that being told pain is "in your head" may increase that risk by 500–1,200%. This episode bridges the gap between what patients experience when dismissed and what providers often fail to recognize about the impact of their language. The hosts frame this as a patient safety issue, comparing the risk to what would be accepted from any other medical intervention. Crisis resources are included in the show notes below.
Resources:
Suicide support lines:
Australia - Lifeline 13 11 14 or call 000
USA & Canada - Suicide Crisis and Lifeline 988, or The Crisis text line 741 741
United Kingdom -Suicide Prevention Helpline 0800 689 5652 or Emergency services on 999 or the NHS on 111
Finland - MIELI Crisis Helpline 09 2525 0116
Timestamps:
0:00 Official Intro
00:17 Intro
02:30 Dan's side
05:04 Iatrogenic Psychological Harm
08:28 Young vs Older Patients
09:57 Chronic Fatigue Syndrom
13:16 Obvious to patients, not to providers
16:26 Illness Behavior
21:38 The harm - suicide risk
22:08 Patrick Ryan
27:37 Matthew Burke
31:19 Somatic symptoms and hopelessness
34:03 Bring it together
40:33 Pain Neuroscience
45:09 Wrap Up
47:28 Disclaimer