Living with a chronic pain condition is extremely challenging. It is not surprising that many people coping with pain develop depression, which makes things much harder for them. The negative feelings associated with depression can serve to magnify a person’s pain, making daily life progressively harder for them to cope with.
What Is Chronic Pain?
The medical definition of “chronic” is pain that lasts much longer than expected as a result of the original problem or injury. When a person is suffering with chronic pain, they may have the following symptoms:
- Elevated levels of stress hormones
- Reduced energy or lethargy
- Muscle aches and pains
- Mood swings or disorders
- Reduced mental and physical performance
What Happens to Cause Depression?
According to the American Pain Foundation (APF), more than 30 million Americans have dealt with pain for longer than 12 months. Around 25-50% of people with a chronic pain condition also suffer from depression as a direct result. However, not everyone experiencing chronic pain gets the help they need. In an alarming number of cases, these people are prescribed opioid medications that considerably increase the risk of developing addiction.
Living with persistent pain can be extremely disabling for people in terms of carrying out normal daily activities. Unless the person seeks help, they are vulnerable to spiraling into depression which will ultimately make them feel much worse. There are treatment solutions for people with co-occurring health conditions that are highly effective, enabling people to cope with their difficult symptoms over a prolonged period of time.
Get Help for Chronic Pain and Depression at CASA Recovery, California
There’s no need to cope with chronic pain alone. Reach out to CASA Recovery and enroll on a custom mental health program in Orange County, CA. We offer first class mental health rehab in San Juan Capistrano, CA from our exclusive and tranquil center. Contact us without delay to find out more about how we can help you today.