Tips for understanding pain and depression

It’s no surprise that pain and depression are closely linked. How can you concentrate or enjoy yourself when you’re suffering physically? These tips will help you deal with both and lead a happier life.

Depression and pain both affect how we feel, our mood, our behaviour and our ability to enjoy life. There is a connection: Someone with chronic pain is three times more likely to suffer from depression than someone without pain.

The reverse is also true: People who are depressed are three times as likely to have chronic pain, especially back, stomach, or joint pain, or headaches.

Both intensify the other. Both, if they go on too long, can alter the way the nervous system works, extending one or both conditions indefinitely. In fact, some scientists believe that depressed people may be more sensitive to pain than other people.

Fibromyalgia may be a good example: it involves chronic muscle pain with no signs of damage, lower thresholds for pain, and a higher rate of depression than any other pain disorder. Unfortunately, many people who have pain don't realize the link between pain and depression.

Fifty percent of depressed people who see a family doctor mention only their physical complaints. Some people are embarrassed to talk about depression. That's a shame, because many of the treatment approaches for one can affect the other, from antidepressants to exercise to relaxation techniques. If you think you suffer from depression, here are some ways to help you cope that may also help you manage your pain.

Although tuning in to pain and developing a relationship with it instead of fighting or ignoring it are helpful ways of managing it, distraction has its place as well. Read on for tips on how to successfully take your mind of your pain.

Imagine stepping into the shower and imagining that the warm water is massaging away the tension and pain in your muscles, washing them down the drain.

Computer games can be one of the most effective distractions from pain. Pick the action-packed ones, which require more concentration.

In an official study, patients who endured years of chronic pain cut their pain levels by up to 21 percent and their depression by 25 percent by listening to music for up to an hour per day.

Other studies have shown that before bed, listening to music can also improve sleep. Researchers suspect that listening to music lessens the focus on pain.

Understanding how pain and depression connect can help you to face both. These tips will support you in tackling these conditions for a more joyful life.