Lokesh reached out his right hand and grabbed the bottle of painkillers. The clock said it was time for his next dose. His wife had left a full glass of water on the end table as well so he would not have to get up. Without emotion, he measured out his pills and took them as he does 4-5 times per day.
A few days ago, his wife asked if he was tired of taking pain medications. What’s the point of feeling anything about it, was his response, sounding hopeless about his situation. He had resigned himself to this life.
He sat back on the sofa, putting the glass of water down, and sighed. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. His life felt out of his control and in the control of his chronic condition that occasionally flared up. When he felt good, he seemed happy but when the pain began, he felt like he sunk into a deep hole.
Though he had learned how to work around his pain so that he could maintain some normalcy in life, when the pain struck he would feel like it would be hard to move. Every movement, every conversation took significant effort so he would stop trying. He new he would sit too long on the sofa, perusing the cable channels for something that would make him laugh, make him feel anything. But nothing would shake him out of this stupor.
Pain and depression are intimately connected. Pain can trigger on onset of depression and depression can also cause pain. This can create a vicious cycle where pain worsens the depressive symptoms which result in a worsening of pain.
Depression due to chronic pain comes from a variety of source: lack of exercise, trouble sleeping, grief about a long-term diagnosis and stress about the prognosis or financial implications from the pain among others.
For South Asians, family and friends tend to treat the patient with extra care and fragility when they begin to show signs of depression. This can make the patient feel more lonely and confident which can exacerbate depressive symptoms.
Depression has been shown to cause, increase and exacerbate pain episodes too. This can lead to a higher dependence on pain killers and less healthy lifestyle that can combat both pain and depressive symptoms.
If you find yourself with low mood and other depressive symptoms while experiencing chronic pain, it is best to speak with your primary care physician about treating the depression and the pain simultaneously for a successful recovery from both.
What do you think about the pain and depression connection?