The Mental Health Project is a Seattle Times initiative focused on covering mental and behavioral health issues. It is funded by Ballmer Group, a national organization focused on economic mobility for children and families. The Seattle Times maintains editorial control over work produced by this team.

Maybe you had a bad fall and hurt your back, and recovery is taking longer than expected. Perhaps you’re recovering from a long-term illness like cancer, or an autoimmune disease. Or maybe you’re feeling constant discomfort without a clear cause.

As different as these situations are, they can all share a nagging challenge — chronic pain.

Defined by the medical community as pain lasting three months or longer, chronic pain is closely linked to mental health, and can have an immense impact o

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