In the past week, I’ve gotten two separate letters from viewers whose physicians had told them that their pain was all in their head. Both comments arose from the observation that their pain had improved with the use of antidepressants.
Now, I’m not going to go into a long rant about this, but let me briefly respond in two ways:
First, antidepressant medications have long been used as an adjunct therapy for treating chronic pain- in particular, the class of drugs known as SSRI’s have been known to help reduce chronic pain.
Secondly, and in my opinion far more important, is the fact that your physicians don’t recognize the mind-body connection. It would be unreasonable to believe that someone in chronic pain would not eventually develop symptoms of depression- which would make the perception of their pain worse. Conversely, it makes complete sense that by relieving the depression symptoms that your pain would improve.
All of the systems of your body interact in various ways, and your psychological state governs how you perceive sensations from any of these symptoms. I’m sorry your physicians don’t acknowledge this connection, because it is real, and has ramifications on how you feel every day.
If you are dealing with chronic pain, perhaps you should consider finding a physician more understanding of your situation.
Thanks for your letters. I am writing a post for Martha Stewart’s Whole Living Daily blog this week about the winter blues, how they can effect your pain, and what you can do about it.
Be well!
Andy
