Pain management and depression
Pain provokes an emotional response in everyone. It creates the feeling of anxiety, irritability, and agitation. If the pain doesn’t go away, it will cause multiple problems associated with depression. Chronic pain can prevent sleep and cause you to awaken frequently at night. This lack of sleep results in daytime fatigue and low productivity which in turn leads to depression. Chronic pain does not always mean that the person is suffering from depression. But with chronic pain, there is a good chance that he might be depressed. This is why it is important to stop or manage pain early on before it becomes chronic and before it gets worse.
Depression intensifies pain which in turn intensifies depression. Both conditions are interwoven. Depression resulting from chronic pain can become consuming, and can even worsen and prolong the pain. Increased pain can, in turn, lead to increased depression. Depression can affect the frequency and intensity of pain symptoms, and the healing rate. They both are often treated together. The treatment for one may work as well for the other. There are things a person with pain can do to prevent or manage the chronic pain and depression. In the acute pain phase, you can talk to the physician about the symptoms of depression. Your physician can considerate both the conditions in creating a treatment plan for you. Physician can suggest a treatment plan to treat the patient’s mental state as well as their physical pain. Many patients do not speak to their physicians about their depression because they believe that once the initial pain problem is resolved, the depression and stress they are feeling will go away automatically.
Chronic pain and depression involve the same nerves and neurotransmitters. That is why antidepressants are used to treat both chronic pain and depression. But before taking anti-depressants to ease pain, one should always seek advice first from a pain management specialist. Exercise also helps ease depression by releasing the same kind of brain chemicals that antidepressant medications release. You can consult with a physician to design an exercise plan that’s safe and effective for you. Cognitive therapy is also a proven treatment for depression and can reduce symptoms of anxiety in those with chronic pain. The best way to approach managing chronic pain is to team up with a pain specialist or other doctor to create a treatment plan. Choosing one of these treatments can definitely get rid of your pain and depression.
