Depression and Pain

Depression can be the culprit for various complaints: fatigue, moody, lack of hunger or overeating, and sleepless nights for instance. Many people, who visit their doctor for depression, describe their symptoms in physical terms such as pain. That's because depression is associated with pain.

A Harvard Mental Health letter (2004) tells us that brain pathways used to transmit pain signals use the same neurotransmitters such as serotonin to regulate mood. When the body is experiencing pain, the brain diverts the signals of discomfort so that we an continue to function normally. When there is dysfunction with this process, pain is more likely to be the focal point. When there is dysfunction, pain along with our mood such as sadness and hopelessness intensifies. Chronic pain adds to the problem.

Researchers Blozik, Laptinskaya, Hermann-Lingen and colleagues (2009) found that both depression and anxiety were linked with increasing levels of neck pain. Neck pain isn't the only pain associated with depression. Headaches, backaches, and arthritis can be affecting depression.

What can I do?

• Pain can also slow down the progression of depression and instead worsen symptoms of depression. Gaining control of the pain must be the emphasis, but learning to think of your pain differently can actually help cope with the pain and hopeless feelings that lead to depression.

• Retraining how to think about pain isn't effortless, but it can be done. Along with exercise, telling yourself that the pain doesn't control your thinking, you may feel better about your life. Fighting both the pain and the mental suppression is an approach you may find helpful.