Chronic pain and psychological distress among long-term social assistance recipients – An intolerable burden on those on the lowest steps of the socioeconomic ladder

Abstract

Chronic pain, pain that is there week after week, month after onth, year after year, pain that interferes with activities of daily iving, pain that reduces ability to have a work to go to, pain that auses regular incometodisappear, this typeofpain causespatients o have catastrophizing thoughts about never getting back to noral life. They plunge into mental fatigue, depression and suicidal deas. In Norway, the most common cause of early disability penion is health problemswhere chronic pain is onemajor part of the ealth problem [2].