By Seomul Evans

The direct relationship between pain and depression has long been established in the medical field. In fact, the use of anti-depressant medication for pain management is now a common and well-accepted practice among specialists. This comes from the knowledge that the chemicals occurring in the brain to which depression is attributed and the brain signals which translate to physical pain are both transported through the body’s nervous system. Proof of this is that persons who are suffering from depression simultaneously suffer from various physical pain such as headaches, stomach aches, joint pain and muscle pain. The reverse is also true. Persons who are suffering from aches, especially those with chronic pain, tend to suffer from depression as well. The direct relationship between the two illnesses is further confirmed by the fact that when a persons depression worsens, so does the chronic aches, and vice versa.

Studies are being made to determine whether prolonged body aches can cause mental depression. Research is also being conducted to determine if the physical pain felt by persons who are depressed is merely an incident of the depression. The latter aspect is more difficult to resolve since causes of chronic aches are sometimes not clear cut. At times, one type of pain may be attributed to several causes or even to a series of causes.

Suffering from chronic aches does not automatically mean that the person is suffering from depression as well. There is, however, a good chance that he might be depressed or that he will get depressed eventually. This is why it is important to stop or manage pain early on before it becomes chronic and before it gets worse.

What is clear though is the effect of anti-depressants on body pain. Since anti-depressants work on the same chemical reactions in the brain and nervous system as those that create physical pain, anti-depressants are just as effective in reducing or resolving painful manifestation. Depression and physical pain go hand in hand and so does their treatments. The treatment for one may work as well for the other. This becomes extremely helpful in managing chronic pain where the cause or causes are sometimes not as easy to determine. These are the instances when pain management specialists actually prescribe anti-depressants to alleviate chronic pain. But this does not mean that anti-depressants are preferred over addictive medications. Anti-depressants should be used for their purpose, and that is to treat depression.

Anti-depressants should be used to treat or relieve bodily pain only when the latter accompanies depression and only when prescribed by pain management specialists. Other forms of physical pain should be treated by pain medication which were specifically developed to address them. We have seen a lot of abuse in the use of anti-depressants as pain killers by persons who are not suffering from depression . Without proper guidance, this can have adverse physical and psychological effects. Before taking anti-depressants to ease pain, one should always seek advice first from a pain management specialist.

About the Author: Seomul Evans is a senior

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