Over 1.6 million people in Ireland suffer from some form of chronic pain - and many have been living with it for years.
Paul Murphy, consultant in pain medicine at St. Vincent's Hospital, Dublin, defines chronic pain as "any pain that is present for more than three months. It doesn't go away and indicates a problem within the nervous system."
While pain is usually seen as a warning sign or a specific symptom of something, Paul says that chronic pain can be "a primary disease in its own right."
Mark Nother has been living with chronic pain for the past eight years. Now in his twenties, he collapsed at school and has had a constant headache ever since.
Despite having numerous tests, there has been no clear medical reason for his pain.
"I'm fine on paper, bar this pain that I have in my head. There's been some very frustrating periods. I've had people who didn't believe me or claimed I was exaggerating the pain."
Mark is not on any medication, and his headache is something he has had to learn to accept and try to manage. But it hasn't been an easy journey, especially while also dealing with the stress of exams.
"It made day to day life difficult. I got very depressed at times. You have to look at it in a positive light because if I go, 'I'm able to cope with this, and despite the pain I can still succeed', that's a huge benefit to anyone with pain."
For more information on chronic pain, visit mypainfeelslike.ie
