That is not to say that some disabled people will not have opioid use disorder. However, from our observation, chronic pain is not a causal factor[4] in who has abused opioids. Instead, opioids are a mitigating factor in how independent those with chronic pain are able to be. Having to deal with chronic pain with no relief, when opioid medication prevented such pain, can greatly affect the quality of life[5] disabled people with chronic pain have. It can affect their ability to perform activities of daily living. It can affect their ability to sleep. It can affect their mood. It can affect their productivity. Those with chronic pain that is untreated or mistreated are more likely to be depressed,[6] and depression itself can also be linked[7] to physical pain. Being depressed and in pain can also make disabled people more susceptible to suicidal ideation,[8] especially when there is seemingly no relief to the long-term pain they experience.
For some disabled people, opioids are the only medication or treatment that can help their pain. Now, those who have chronic pain are treated with suspicion,[9] as though they are abusing opioids, especially by medical personnel at doctors’ offices and hospitals when they seek out this medication. Doctors are increasingly afraid and unwilling[10] to prescribe opioids, so instead of continuing effective treatment for those who have seen great benefits from using these medications, too often doctors are essentially abandoning those who truly need access to opioids.
Opioid abuse is a problem, but it is not a problem for the overwhelming majority[11] of the disability community or others with chronic pain. It’s a problem for those who have already been abusing these medications. Those are typically not people who need these medications to handle long-term chronic pain.
Yet, as sometimes misguided approaches to addressing the opioid crisis are hastily undertaken across the country, the very individuals, who benefit greatly in terms of health and productivity from continued opioid use as part of a comprehensive pain management strategy, are the people who face the most scrutiny and harm by not having access to medically necessary and appropriate medication.