Chronic Pain - Invisible from the outside - Societal Impact of Pain (SIP)

Chronic Pain - Invisible from the outside

Catherine van Riel – Galicia Rheumatological League, Spain

17th July 2019

"Invisible from the outside, chronic pain still too often isn’t acknowledged as a legitimate disability" she says. Stigma is a big Problem and Pain Alliance Europe has conducted a survey on pain and stigma in 2019.

Catherine Van Riel from the Galicia Rheumatological League talks to us about the importance of avoiding stigma and helping adults as well as children manage their pain. She is actively involved in the SIP National Platform in Spain and attended the Pain Alliance Europe General Assembly in June 2019 where she talked about the invisibility of pain and how to address this with the SIP initiative in Spain.

You can find additional Information about SIP Spain on the following link:

- First SIP Spain Forum hosted in the Ministry of Health

- 2nd Edition of Brain Mind and Pain Grant - call for proposals on "Stop Stigma"

- Interview with Dr. Boaz Samolsky about Stigma in Pain