Low mood, anxiety and depression One of the biggest impacts chronic pain has on our brains, is how it affects our mood. Being in pain on it's own can be taxing emotionally, but when you pair that with the effects chronic pain can have on our lives, things can get really tough.
Experiencing depression, mood fluctuations, anxiety, altered perceptions and cognition, and emotional instability, are all commonly associated with chronic pain. This is a result of the perceived stress that impacts the body on a physical and chemical level.
People living with chronic pain are at heightened risk for mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders. Chronic pain can affect sleep, increase stress levels and contribute to depression. An estimated 35% to 45% of people with chronic pain experience depression.
This equilibrium also is known as the resting state network of the brain. In the chronic pain group, however, one of the nodes of this network did not quiet down as it did in the pain-free subjects. This constant firing of neurons in these regions of the brain could cause permanent damage, Chialvo said.
Tips on coping with chronic pain
Eating well, getting plenty of sleep and engaging in approved physical activity are all positive ways for you to handle your stress and pain. Talk to yourself constructively. Positive thinking is a powerful tool.
Reduce stress in your life. Stress intensifies chronic pain. Negative feelings like depression, anxiety, stress, and anger can increase the body's sensitivity to pain. By learning to take control of stress, you may find some relief from chronic pain.
Chronic pain can interfere with your daily activities, such as working, having a social life and taking care of yourself or others. It can lead to depression, anxiety and trouble sleeping, which can make your pain worse. This response creates a cycle that's difficult to break.
Chronic pain changes our brain and nervous system over time. It learns to continue producing pain messages and changes it's neural pathways to do so, even when these pain messages are no longer serving a purpose.
1 By use of brain scans they determined that chronic pain caused brain shrinkage by as much as 11%—equivalent to the amount of gray matter that is lost in 10-20 years of normal aging. The decrease in volume in the prefrontal cortex and the thalamus of the brain was related to the duration of time spent in pain.
feel isolated — disinterested in the company of family and friends, or withdrawing from usual daily activities. feel overwhelmed — unable to concentrate or make decisions. be moody — feeling low or depression; feeling burnt out; emotional outbursts of uncontrollable anger, fear, helplessness or crying.
Not only is BPD one of the most painful mental illnesses, but it's also intensified by stigma and being misunderstood by others. Fortunately, borderline personality disorder is a treatable condition, and the pain doesn't have to be endless.
If the pain is severe, then even getting through the day can become a struggle. Emotional fatigue is common among sufferers of chronic pain. High levels of pain can stress the body's physical and emotional systems.
Chronic pain often causes mental and cognitive symptoms, such as short-term memory loss, difficulty processing information, confusion, and trouble focusing. These symptoms are commonly known in the pain community as “brain fog.” Work, school, and other daily tasks can be challenging when dealing with brain fog.
Have you ever felt physically ill due to stress or anxiety? psychosomatic pain is when your emotional and mental stress begin making you physically sick. “Psychosomatic” explains the relation between mind and body. The term is a combination of Greek words psyche "mind" + somatic, from soma, which means "body".
7 Both emotional and physical pain are linked to changes in the prefrontal cortex and cingulate cortex. Some researchers argue that rather than viewing emotional pain and physical pain as fundamentally different, they should be conceptualized as both being part of a broader pain continuum.
Changes in brain structure
This means that chronic pain patients can have problems with memory processing, learning new things, keeping their attention focused on one task, thinking through problems and finding solutions. Motor control can also be impacted as this study explains.
Chronic pain can become so debilitating, that it may no longer be possible to work or continue with school. This major life change can be experienced as a deep and painful loss and can bring about difficult feelings such as grief, sadness, shame, worthlessness, hopelessness, and helplessness.
In some cases, OCD can cause you to over-focus on physical sensations, which may amplify feelings of pain because you're focusing attention on the pain. According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, OCD can manifest not just through disturbing thoughts, but through physical sensations, too.
Only Certain Kinds Of Pain Can Be Controlled With Your Mind
“But chronic pain and pain without a source can be managed with your thoughts. There is a big emotional tie between pain and your thoughts, and by altering your thoughts you can alter the pain.” The CDC estimates that 20.4% of US adults live with chronic pain.
The physical and emotional energy you use trying to deal with pain can make you feel fatigued. Pain also may lead to fatigue by causing you to lose sleep or preventing you from really sleeping well. Several types of arthritis may be associated with anemia. This is a problem in the blood.
Just like depression and anxiety are the cousins of chronic pain, all the emotions–fear, anxiety, anger, guilt, grief, and helplessness–are closely related and often congregate together within our brain, creating additional pain through the body's response to the negative emotional thought patterns.
People with BPD are chronically unsure about their lives, whether it is with their family, personal relationships, work, or future aspirations. They also experience persistent uncertain and insecure thoughts and feelings about their self-image, long-term goals, friendships, and values.