Chronic pain patients' need for recognition and their current struggle

Chronic pain patients often miss receiving acknowledgement for the multidimensional struggles they face with their specific conditions. People suffering from chronic pain experience a type of invisibility that is also borne by other chronically ill people and their respective medical conditions. However, chronic pain patients face both passive and active exclusion from social participation in activities like family interactions or workplace inclusion. Although such aspects are discussed in the debates lead by the bio-psycho-social model of pain, there seems to be a lack of a distinct interest in assessing more specifically the social aspects regarding chronic pain. As a result, the social aspects have yet to be taken into a more thorough theoretical consideration of chronic pain and to be practically implemented to help affected patients. By addressing chronic pain patients' struggle for recognition, this paper attempts to shed light on some of these social aspects. We base this attempt on a theoretical framework that combines patients' statements with an adaptation of Axel Honneth's social-philosophical work on recognition. Thus, this paper tries to make a suggestion on how the bio-psycho-social model of pain can live up to its name by helping to address more adequately some of the more neglected aspects in chronic pain patients' suffering than has been possible to date.

Automated summary

Chronic pain patients often lack recognition for the multidimensional struggles they face, including social exclusion from activities like family interactions or workplace involvement. Despite discussions in the bio-psycho-social model of pain, there is a lack of specific interest in assessing the social aspects of chronic pain, which have yet to be fully integrated into theoretical considerations and practical implementations for helping affected patients. This paper aims to address this gap by drawing on a combination of patients' experiences and social-philosophical frameworks to suggest ways in which the bio-psycho-social model of pain can more effectively address the neglected social aspects of chronic pain patients' suffering.