The prevalence of pain and receipt of pain management in inpatient psychiatric settings in Ontario

Pain is often underreported and undertreated among individuals with mental illness receiving health care services. Few studies have reported on prevalence of pain and pain management within psychiatric settings; this study aims to fill that gap. Secondary analysis of cross-sectional anonymized population-level data from the Ontario Mental Health Reporting System (N = 315,934 unique individuals) was conducted to identify associations between psychiatric diagnoses and recognition of pain management needs while controlling for factors previously linked to pain. Approximately 22% reported pain, yet only 49% had recognized pain management needs. Age under 65, financial trade-offs, heavy drinking, opiate use, self-reported trauma, PTSD, substance use disorder, and cognitive impairment were associated with increased odds of recognition of pain management needs, while admission from an institution or homelessness, repeated psychiatric admissions, substance use, health instability, and several psychiatric diagnoses were associated with decreased odds. These findings highlight the need for systematic recognition of identified pain within psychiatric care.