Youth with Chronic Pain and Mental Health Disorders Are at Risk for Long-Term Opioid Use

The prevalence of chronic noncancer pain conditions (e.g., back or neck pain or headache) increases during puberty. Whether the benefits of treating these conditions with opioids outweigh the risks is controversial. Using 2001–2008 claims data for 12 large U.S. commercial health plans, investigators assessed the relation between mental health disorders and subsequent risk for long-term opioid use among 59,077 youth (age range, 13–24 years). Each patient had two or more claims, separated by at least 1 month but not by more than 1 year, for chronic noncancer pain (back or neck pain or related to arthritis or headache). Patients who had used opioids within 6 months before their first pain diagnosis were excluded.

After the qualifying pain diagn…