Association Between Mental Health Disorders, Problem Drug Use, and Regular Prescription Opioid Use

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Abstract
In primary care settings around the world, 5% to 35% of patients have pain not associated with cancer that persists for at least 6 months and is associated with disability or seeking health care.1 Between 1980 and 2000, the rate of prescribing opioids at US outpatient visits for chronic musculoskeletal pain doubled from 8% to 16% of visits.2 This increase has been interpreted by some specialists as evidence of better treatment of unrelieved pain,3 whereas others have expressed concern about the safety and effectiveness of long-term opioid therapy for chronic noncancer pain.4