When you have chronic pain, how it’s managed, how it affects your life, and how you see it affects how you feel mentally and emotionally. If you see your pain as unchanging, as unbeatable, you may tend to give in to it, believing that you have no control over your pain. Pain can affect your quality of life. It can keep you from going out and socializing. It can keep you from doing your favorite activities and hobbies. Pain can also keep you from sleeping so you become sleep-deprived and fatigued. You may not be able to prepare meals, so you may go hungry. You may not be able to care for yourself, so you may be unbathed – and so on.

So, given all these ways pain can affect a person, it’s no wonder that this can lead to depression and doctors have noticed that connection a long time ago. Not only are pain and depression two of the most common problems seen by doctors, the can occur at the same time, or co-occur, in 30 to 50% of cases.

The Journal of the American Medical Association just published an article about a study that looked at the self-management of pain and use of antidepressant. In the study, 123 patients were randomly assigned to receive 12 weeks of treatment for depression and then 6 sessions (over 12 weeks) that helped them learn a self-management program for pain. This program involved learning how to perform coping and distraction techniques, and do muscle relaxation and deep breathing exercises. They were then followed with more therapy for 6 months. A second group of 127 patients received what is called “usual care,” what their doctors would routinely prescribe for people in their situation.

What the researchers found was that the patients in the first group were two to three times more likely to say their depression had eased than those patients who received the usual care. Even better, they had a four times higher rate of seeing their depression disappear within a year and their pain was lessened too than the other group.

Perhaps with numbers showing this type of improvement, more doctors will become aware of the connection and approach management in a wider fashion.

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Image: iStock.com

Post from: Blisstree

Chronic Pain and Depression

There is something for everyone (breastfeeding or not) in the mix of the Breastfeeding 1-2-3 highlights from April 2008:
Free Pattern for Sewing Your Own Crew Neck Over-the-Head Baby Bibs
Judge Denies FLDS Request to Keep Mothers with Nursing Babies
World Health Day 2008: Protecting Health from Climate Change
Breastfeeding Basics Checklist for a Good Breastfeeding Latch
Gentian Violet and Grapefruit Seed Extract as Thrush Remedies
Breastfeeding and International Travel
Top Five Breastfeeding Interviews

And from Kristen at Lively Women…
April is STD awareness month
Resources for organizing your office and your life
Tap water vs bottled water whats safer and healthier
Guest post aromatherapy 101
Lunchtime lipo investigated by 2020
Gas station condom dispenser preaches abstinence and monogamy
Womens health giveaway nalgene bottle and brita faucet filtration system
History of abortion genocide of african american babies by planned parenthood hotly debated

Hope at Weighting Line also had a roundup pots for you on weight loss and all that goes with it.

Alicia at Mental health Notes had so much to offer…
The more serious stuff:
Wentworth Miller fan pull together for UNICEF
Austrian family presents psychiatrists with bizarre case
Meet famous poets who lived with mental illness
Nurture mental health during the fight against cancer
Mental health repercussions for flds religious sect children
University of virginia higher education meets lower health privacy
Postpartum depression legislation beneficial or conspiratorial

And the fluffier stuff:
They dont make condoms for your brain you know
Harry Potter saved Rowlings sanity
Giving freud the finger just got a whole lot easier
Goodbye American Idol Michael Johns the 5 stages of loss
Brain break oh hai lolcats
Of disloyal house elves and guilt stricken humans
2 sure fire ways to deal with phobias

Here we have Marijke’s top posts at Help My Hurt
Company’s calling – Olympic cyclist Kristin Armstrong talks about her osteoarthritis
Physical activity may help reduce arthritis pain
Help My Hurt lost one of its own today – RIP Tricia
Living with Cancer: Help My Hurt hosts this month’s Theme Day
Friday funnies – April fool’s jokes

Angelique at Breaking the Mirror offers up..
Please tell me weve all been punkd
Her fathers daughter 1st installment
Her fathers daughter 2nd installment
Her fathers daughter 3rd last installment
Anosexya some pro anas think so
In mauritania anorexics looking for love would be out of luck
Just dont tell me okay

Gab at Fertitlity Notes and Daily Tomorrow has some great posts for her roundup…
for Fertility Notes:
Oh wait are we sure we want to do this
The mistress daughter by am homes
The girl with two birthdays
Smokin drinkin sniffin glue
Appreciating the present
The greening of me part 2
The greening of me part 1

And Daily Tomorrow:
Allow me to introduce myself
Make your office a little more eco friendly
Where in the world is the green in that
Kid friendly fridays happy arbor day
Happy birthday John Muir
Another reason to love mushrooms bioremediation
Its national volunteer week

Liberty and Liz at Healthbolt are always a great read….
Testing the vitality compass
Movie theater cuisine so good but so bad
How dandy the anti stress benefits of a dandelion
Is it a computer is it a treadmill
Warning blogging could be bad for your health
Milk the drink of rock stars

What does Grace at Kids Health Notes have to say? Check her out here…
What your poo may be telling you
More students misusing stimulants during stress
Gymnastics cause 27,000 injuries per year, research shows
Skin contact with mom soothes preemies’ pain
Recycle with your kids Tip # 4: bottled water
Recycle with kids Tip #5: Reusing beats recycling

Scott at Health and Men has his roundup here…
Aprils top seven posts for health and men

And Karen at Pink Ribbon Review gave you this…
Seven of my favorite breast cancer blog posts

Post from: Blisstree

April’s Health and Wellness Roundup… Best posts from the bloggers