Conditions
Chronic pain syndrome
Chronic pain is pain that persists beyond the expected period of healing, usually defined as longer than three months. It affects around one in five Australians, and it is never just physical. Persistent pain reshapes sleep, mood, work, relationships and identity.
Depression and anxiety are two to three times more common in people with chronic pain, and pain and mood feed each other in a cycle: pain worsens mood and sleep, and low mood and poor sleep amplify the experience of pain.
If you live with chronic pain, you may also know the particular frustration of feeling disbelieved, of investigations that find nothing, and of being told it is all in your head. Modern pain science is clear: chronic pain is real, it involves genuine changes in the nervous system's processing of pain signals, and addressing its psychological and psychiatric dimensions is not an accusation; it is one of the most effective ways to reduce suffering.
How psychiatry helps with chronic pain
A psychiatric assessment looks at the whole picture: co-occurring depression and anxiety, sleep disturbance, the effects of long-term pain medications including opioid-related concerns, trauma history where relevant, and the cognitive and emotional patterns that amplify pain. Treatment may include medications that act on both mood and pain pathways, psychological therapies with strong evidence in chronic pain such as CBT and acceptance-based approaches, sleep treatment, and careful coordination with your GP, pain specialists and other treating clinicians.
The goal is honest and practical: reduce suffering, improve function and quality of life, and help you reclaim the parts of your life that pain has taken, even where some pain persists. Patients are often surprised how much difference treating the depression, anxiety and sleep disturbance makes to the pain itself.
WorkCover and compensation-related pain
Many people with chronic pain are navigating WorkCover or third party insurance claims, which adds its own stress. Psychiatrists at Mind Connections regularly treat patients under WorkCover and third party arrangements and understand the documentation and approval processes involved. Insurer pre-approval is required before treatment begins, and reception can assist with this.
Frequently asked questions
Are you saying my pain is psychological?
No. Your pain is real. Chronic pain involves genuine changes in how the nervous system processes signals. Because mood, sleep, stress and pain share biological pathways, treating the psychological dimensions reduces real pain, not imaginary pain.
How can a psychiatrist help when pain specialists have not fixed my pain?
Psychiatrists address the parts of chronic pain that procedures cannot: the depression, anxiety, sleep disruption and medication complications that magnify suffering. This works alongside, not instead of, your pain specialist and GP.
Can anti depressants really help with pain?
Yes. Several medications used in psychiatry act directly on pain pathways and are part of standard chronic pain treatment internationally, independent of their effect on mood. Your psychiatrist can advise what suits your situation and existing medications.
I am worried about my opioid use. Can you help?
Yes, and without judgment. Long-term opioid use is a common and understandable outcome of chronic pain, and psychiatrists can assess its current role, manage dependence where it has developed, and support carefully planned changes in collaboration with your GP.
Will my WorkCover claim cover this treatment?
Psychiatric treatment for accepted work-related conditions is commonly funded by WorkCover, with insurer pre-approval required before treatment begins. Reception can guide you through the approval process.
Does treatment mean accepting that the pain will never go away?
Treatment means refusing to let pain take more of your life than it already has. For some people pain also reduces as sleep, mood and the nervous system settle; for others the pain persists but life expands around it. Both are real victories.
Can poor sleep really make pain worse?
Substantially. Sleep deprivation lowers pain thresholds and amplifies pain signalling, and pain in turn disrupts sleep. Treating sleep is one of the most direct ways to interrupt the cycle, and it is a routine focus of treatment.
Getting Started
Your first appointment, made simple
Visit our 'What to expect' page to learn more about the booking process.
Obtain a referral
For psychiatry, ask your GP for a referral. For psychology, ask your GP for a Mental Health Care Plan and referral. This is what enables your Medicare rebates.
Book online or call us
Choose your clinician, location and time online, 24/7, or call our friendly reception team and we'll find a time that suits.
Attend your appointment
In person or by telehealth. Your first session is about understanding you, your history and what you'd like help with.