What's behind the phenomena of chronic pain, and why is it so hard to solve? Compare Inpatient Rehab examined CDC data to uncover differences in pain and treatment.

Chronic pain affects over 45 million Americans, with 65% of depression patients reporting at least one pain symptom. It alters brain chemistry, increasing anxiety, stress, and depression risks.

The ranks of people who experience chronic pain are growing all the time. Many diseases that would once have been fatal can now be treated, sometimes leaving patients who are alive but in pain.

Women who see doctors for pain from reproductive health conditions are often advised to relax and get help for anxiety instead.

The poems in this remarkable collection offer a fearless account of an individual grappling with the physical, emotional and social challenges of living with chronic illness.