Chronic Pain and Mental Health

There are several conditions and diseases that can cause chronic pain such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, cancer, multiple sclerosis, nerve damage, certain infections, and injuries like a herniated disk or torn ligaments. Living with chronic pain can significantly contribute to mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and stress. Approximately 35% to 45% of chronic pain sufferers experience depression. According to the American Pain Consortium (https://www.americanpainconsortium.com/), chronic pain can cause feelings of frustration, anger and sadness which can lead to depression and anxiety. There is also an increased risk of developing mental health issues from the stress of having to manage pain. Mental health issues can also exacerbate pain which then creates a vicious cycle.

How can counseling and therapy help you? When you work with a counselor to help with mental health issues arising from your chronic you will learn how to manage better, you will experience a reduction in depression and anxiety levels related to your pain, you will acquire tools and skills to catch the thought patterns that worsen your pain, and you will learn strategies on how to live a full and meaningfull life despite chronic pain.

There are certain therapeutic approaches that are frequently used to alleviate the mental health issues related to chronic pain that have shown to be effective:

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1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT):  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can help you recognize and change thoughts and behaviors that make it difficult to cope with chronic pain.  Certain CBT-specific strategies you may work on with your counselor are activity pacing and distration. Research has shown that CBT is an effective treatment approach as it can help people manage chronic pain associated with various health conditions.

2. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT):  Acceptance and Commitment Therapy uses mindfulness strategies to help you accept your thoughts and experiences as they are rather than trying to change them. Six principles of ACT therapy are:

   • Connecting with the present

   • Maintaining a balanced view of your thoughts and feelings

   • Clarifying your values and goals

   • Making a commitment to your values and goals

   • Accepting discomfort as part of change

   • Recognizing that thoughts are not always factual.

3. Mindfulness-based therapies:  An example of a mindfulness therapy is Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) which uses yoga and meditation to help with the management of chronic pain.  

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If you are suffering from chronic pain you may also be experiencing any of the following:

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Sleep disturbance

• Irritability and mood swings

• Anger

• Frustration

• Social withdrawal

• Catastrophic thinking

• Substance use

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If you suffer from chronic pain and are experiencing any of the above, contact us today so we can help.