For many chronic pain sufferers, living with constant pain drags them down to levels of sadness that they may never have experienced otherwise. It can be difficult to know how to get through the day and even harder to stay positive when you’re constantly dealing with pain. This blog post will highlight some of the ways in which chronic pain can affect a patient’s mental health.
What is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts longer than three months. It can result from pinched nerves, extremity injuries, neck and back injuries, illnesses such as fibromyalgia, etc.
How Does it Affect Mental Health?
Physical pain and mental distress are directly linked to each other. The severity of chronic pain often causes a person to experience heightened anxiety and depression, which can feed off each other in a very destructive way.
When patients suffer from chronic pain, they experience some physical, emotional, social, and cognitive changes. Physical changes include extreme pain that manifests in different ways, such as headaches, migraines, muscle aches, and joint pains. The emotional impact of this can include anxiety, depression, and irritability.
When pain becomes too difficult to deal with, people tend to become disinterested in personal hygiene and lack interest in social interactions. Moreover, research shows that some patients may also suffer from impaired memory function and extreme mood swings, which can lead to serious mental health conditions.
Suicidal Thoughts
Research shows that it’s common for people with chronic pain to have suicidal thoughts, and a large number of Americans commit suicide every year because pain makes their life miserable. Health experts advise that friends and families of those suffering from chronic pain should not let them isolate themselves and always keep a check on their mental health.
What Can Be Done?
As challenging as it may seem, there are ways that people with chronic illness can find their personal strengths and tackle these problems head-on. However, to be able to make peace with their situation and fight hopelessness, they need love and support from those around them.
Are you or a loved one dealing with chronic pain? At Artisa Wellness Center, we provide chronic pain treatment in Katy at affordable rates. We are a renowned chronic pain recovery center. Reach out to us today.
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