Chronic Back Pain and Depression

Clinical depression is a serious condition that is often accompanied by chronic back pain.  Recent studies have shown that there is often a clear correlation between chronic back pain and depression. It has been shown that patients who seek treatment for back pain are far more likely to experience severe depression, the greater the pain the more severe the depression.

Chronic pain can lead to depression for a number of reasons. First, pain can interrupt normal sleeping patterns, causing chronic fatigue. In daytime, pain can make getting around difficult, which often results in patients isolating themselves from others and becoming irritable with those around them. If the pain becomes a barrier to work, then financial pressures may also be added to the mix. All these help create a link between chronic back pain and depression.

In addition to these contributors, anti-inflammatory medication may further dull the senses, and when the pain is particularly severe, a patient may have difficulty remembering essential things like appointments and deadlines, and the ability to concentrate may suffer as well.

As a result of this stew of difficulties caused by pain, a patient may succumb to despair and hopelessness, which are often interpreted as clear signs of clinical depression. Moreover, frustration over the inability to perform simple daily tasks, such as house cleaning, childcare and socializing can exacerbate these feelings. Essentially, a patient may feel enslaved by the chronic back pain and this loss of control can lead to a depressive state.

Interestingly, while the link between chronic back pain and depression makes intuitive sense, the opposite can also be true. Researchers are now discovering that depression may also lead to back pain. Thus, if the clinical depression goes untreated, the back pain can be extremely difficult to manage.

Although a chronic back pain sufferer may downplay depression as a result of the pain, perhaps because of the stigma often associated with depression, experts recommend that patients seeking treatment for back pain should also seek a screening for clinical depression to aid in prognosis and a treatment plan.

By Dr. James  Lin
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