The Pain/ Depression Cycle: Is Your Pain Caused by Depression or Vice Versa?

By: Ryan Lawrence


Over the decades, medical professionals have begun to recognize that depression can have a significant physical impact on our bodies. Studies have shown that depressed people are more prone to suffering from physical ailments, such as heart problems and osteoporosis. That said, above all else, depression appears to be tightly linked to physical pain.

A Complex Relationship

Researchers know that pain and depression have a real but confusing relationship. Physicians often struggle to identify the source of certain physical ailments when they are combined with depression. Like the chicken and the egg, it's not always clear what is causing what. When depressed patients visit the doctor, they often complain of vague, insistent symptoms, such as abdominal pain, headaches, or musculoskeletal pain in the neck, joints and lower back.

This often leads physicians to test for all sorts of ailments before finally attributing the problem to depression. Many times, antidepressants and cognitive therapy help to resolve symptoms of vague, chronic pain. On the other hand, just as often, this treatment strategy proves ineffective, because it's actually focusing on a symptom rather than the source problem, itself.

When Pain Causes Depression

  Years ago, health professionals believed that people who suffered from both pain and depression experienced the former, because they were somehow denying an emotional disorder. Now, more and more experts believe that it's actually pain that makes people depressed in the first place.

According to Dr. Donna Blair, who treats people suffering from temporomandibular disorder, many of her patients have experienced improved mood once they received treatment for the source of their chronic pain.

"I see people whose teeth are worn down to a fraction of the length of what they used to be from years of grinding," she said. "They've been in pain for years, but didn't know that a problem in their jaw joint could have been the cause; and they're amazed at the increase in quality of life that they get when their teeth are restored and their bite is corrected."

An Endless Cycle

  Unfortunately, chronic pain and depression can promote one another. This is especially true when one or the other promotes sleeping difficulties. According to Blair, research has shown that insufficient sleep can promote both pain and depression, leading to a seemingly endless cycle that can send people into a downward spiral.

"Sleep is so critical to our well-being, and when we don't get enough of it, our bodies suffer," she said. "When you add pain to the mix, people have trouble sleeping and it sets a vicious cycle in motion. Depression is just part of what frequently happens in this cycle, but it's one of the signs and symptoms that people are more aware of. Things like increased risk of heart attack and stroke usually go unnoticed until it's too late."

Getting Help

Chronic pain has been proven to keep depressed people depressed, while robbing them of their ability to function in professional and social arenas. That said, when patients receive treatment, they tend to show significant improvement.

When seeking help, patients would be well-advised to seek counsel from physicians who are open to all potential causes, instead of those who are focused on purely physical or psychological catalysts.

Citations:

• Journal of American Medical Association depression study

Featured images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source 

Ryan Lawrence writes for Off-Topic Media. Thanks to Dr. Blair for contributing to this story. Dr. Blair treats migranes and other TMJ symptoms at her office in Fresno, California.

My family and I are in the process of moving and we only have a month to do it in, so forgive me if I seem a little scarce around here. I will be back full force as soon as we are settled in ;)

The Power of Words

Here are some phrases you never hear:

"I'm AIDS."

"I'm Lupus."

"I'm a bone fracture."

So why are there phrases like this?

"I'm bipolar."

"I'm schizophrenic."

"I'm crazy."

It may not seem like a big deal to everyone. The emphasis on certain words is interpreted in varying measures by each person, and the difference of being and having something may not even register to some. But. It does to me. I have a real pet peeve about phrases like "I'm bipolar". We hear it said like that everywhere. In movies. In the news. In conversations. It's even used to describe people who do not even have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. If a person is in a bad mood or emotional, they are automatically penned "bipolar". Is this acceptable to you?

This is why I have a problem with it:

"I'm bipolar" suggests that your whole body is wrapped up in this word; it becomes the definition of everything about you. It owns you. You are a slave to society's views about your mental illness, and you're seemingly complacent about it. Stigma feeds off of you.

"I have bipolar disorder" tells a different story, and a more accurate one. You are an individual with many traits and characteristics. You may have a distinct birth mark, a knack for mathematics, a perfectly aligned set of teeth. Among all your visual and perceived traits, you have an illness-a flaw in your chemistry-and it affects you in certain ways. It can appear to take over your whole being at times and muddle the regular attributes of your personality. But you have it. It does not have you.  This particular aspect of your life can be treated, subdued, survived. It does not own you. Just like a broken bone, a part of you may be wounded, but you as a whole are not a broken person.

Remember this in your self-talk and when you are describing your illness to others. It will make a difference in how you perceive yourself, and it just might portray a more realistic image of mental illness to those around you. Words have a certain power to them, and you can choose to use uplifting ones or degrading ones. The words you choose will impact your entire view of life. Choose words that reflect your true self, and never let your illness define you.

Decisions, Decisions

It's amazing how freeing making a decision can be. I like dealing in absolutes. When everything is up in the air, when the winds can turn it this way or that, then my whole body feels the upheaval, and it resides in my brain and my bones, sucking out the will in me, until the issue is resolved. I am happy to say that my family and I have come to a decision about a situation that has been weighing heavily on each of us for a few weeks. Now, there's a lot of hard work ahead, and I will have to keep check on my mental health throughout it, but just knowing the next steps on the path has greatly diminished the stress and depression I have been experiencing as of late. There will always be uncertainties and bends in the road, but at least we have a plan in place now. What a relief!

I hope you all have a terrific weekend!

Your Life, and Why It Matters

It's hard to remember at times, but I really do love my life. Sometimes it can really suck (to say the least), but the good times make up for all the bad. It is always the simple things that mean the most, and the sweetest treasures often come along when we least expect it. It is because of this that there is always a reason to try, always a reason to give just a little bit more, and there is no excuse for not sharing all we have to offer with the world. One of my favorite quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr. is  "If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, keep moving." I know sometimes it seems like there is no point in trying, especially when living with a mental illness or disability. It is hard to find a balance of accepting limitations and being dictated by them. I don't believe any of us are wasted space. You don't have to believe in a higher being or an afterlife to consider the integrity of every breath you take. We may not all be destined for "great things" like becoming a celebrity, or writing a bestselling novel, or finding the cure for cancer. Some of us may just work hard all our lives, live paycheck to paycheck, and struggle to survive. That doesn't mean our efforts are in vain. There is a pride that comes along with offering your all for the ones you love. Some of us may not be able to work outside of the home for whatever reason. I am one of those, at least for now. My current mental health issues prevent me from driving and engaging in successful, panic-free social interactions with the public, which is very discouraging since I was able to work for most of thirteen years prior. It is my hope that my condition will improve and I will eventually be able to do those things again. In the mean time, however, I am not content to just sit around feeling sorry for myself. I have children to take care of, for one thing. Not everyone has children to keep them going (and when I say children, I mean in human and animal form). But if you search within yourself, look really hard, and ask yourself what you can do to brighten the corner you are in, you CAN and you WILL find something-even the smallest little thing-that makes your time on earth worthwhile, for both you and others. For me, I decided to use my time as a "hermit" to create my blog and Facebook page in order to reach out to others going through similar trials of mental illness and provide encouragement and support to as many as I can. Sure, that may not seem like a lot to some people. It won't pay the bills or make me famous. But it's a dear project to me, and while I help others it helps ME as well, and I get a lot of satisfaction out of what I am doing. Not everyone who is home bound will want to start a blog or Facebook page, but there may be something you have a knack for that you would like to learn more about and use those skills for a greater good. What is stopping you? You deserve to find fulfillment in life, whether that is from a job, a hobby, or any number of things that produce a positive aura around you and everyone you come in contact with. You owe it to yourself. You owe it to the world. Life is not to be taken for granted, and its uncertainties are not meant to be roadblocks to our ability to live wide open and feel the warmth of all the good in the world that is still present, despite all the cold parts. Don't keep the best of you locked away. It is meant to be shared.