The National Program Director for Pain Management for the Veterans Health Administration, Dr. Robert Kerns, says that 50 percent of chronic pain sufferers are depressed. These individuals may experience a sense of loss and a decline in their mood. Normally fun activities will seem uninteresting and not entertaining. Others will have an increased sense of irritability or impatience.
At Southwest Spine and Pain Center, our focus is managing pain while also healing other factors of your health. Because depression is so very prevalent in many chronic pain cases, our physicians work with other specialists to ensure you get all the help and care you need.
Many people believe that depression is treated once pain symptoms are reduced. This is false. Depression and chronic pain may affect one another, but they both need to be treated separately. An integrative or multidisciplinary approach to treatment is often best. One study found that medication therapy with antidepressants along with self-management program helped improve depression and pain.
Southwest Spine and Pain Center specialists will work with other healthcare providers to ensure patients are getting the right treatment. Based on the diagnosis and treatment at our Center, a psychologist or other health care provider can correlate their treatment. As a patient who suffers from chronic pain and depression, it is important to regularly communicate with all of your providers about changes to your health.
Researchers once believed that pain perception was equal to the amount of bodily damage a person had. However, we now know that our thoughts and emotions can impact the way in which we feel pain. Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps patients re-teach their brains on conceptualizing their pain.
Living with chronic pain can be extremely difficult. Physical setbacks are in-of-it-self depressing, but when sad feelings take over the brain, your condition can be even more debilitating. For more information on what resources Southwest Spine and Pain Center offers for fighting depression and chronic pain, contact a medical team member today. We have offices all across Utah to better accommodate for our patients.
If chronic pain is impacting your life, don't wait to schedule an appointment at Southwest Spine and Pain Center. With four locations and same day appointments, the pain management specialists at Southwest Spine and Pain Center are dedicated to helping those who suffer from chronic pain live the life they want to! To schedule an appointment, visit our locations tab!
The advice and information contained in this article is for educational purposes only, and is not intended to replace or counter a physician’s advice or judgment. Please always consult your physician before taking any advice learned here or in any other educational medical material.
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