Depression and Chronic Pain

Pain is depressing and depression can actually cause and/or intensify pain symptoms. People who have major depression are more than twice as likely to have chronic pain when compared to people who have no symptoms of depression. And according to Harvard Medical School, people with chronic pain have up to three times the average risk of developing mood or anxiety disorders or other psychiatric symptoms.

In one hallmark research study at Stanford, researchers found that 43 percent of those patients who were identified as having major depression also had chronic pain. Of the symptoms, headaches and backaches were most commonly found in depressed people. People who had chronic pain were also more likely to have major depression, indicating that continuous pain increases the likelihood of having a major depressive disorder diagnosis.

Chronic pain and depression are linked in a number of ways. For example, chronic pain can cause a number of symptoms like trouble sleeping and stress, which can often lead to depression. In addition, disabling pain can cause low self-esteem and feelings of powerlessness, which again, can lead to depression. On the other hand, depression can intensify pain symptoms.

The most frequently seen link between chronic pain and depression is seen with migraine headaches. Experienced by one in ten people, research shows that people with a history of migraine headaches are up to five times more likely than those without migraines to have a depressive episode.

Part of the concern regarding the link between the depression and chronic pain is that, for many people, mental health symptoms are undertreated. Other research indicates that if health care providers tested all patients complaining of pain for depression, then physicians would discover up to 60% of depression that is currently undetected.

The good news is that some medications, like antidepressants, can do “double duty,” and are effective in treating both depression and chronic pain symptoms.