The Relationship Between Depression And Back Pain

There is a direct relationship between depression and back pain. In fact, the former tend to appear along with the latter. It is common for a person who experiences chronic low back pain to develop a mood disorder. You may not be aware of it, but these are quite debilitating and often change the quality of life of those affected.

Thus, these are the most common and recurring in terms of the conditions that cause the most pain at the work level. It is clear, for example, that back pain has a major impact on absenteeism, and that this is a global problem. Estimates actually indicate that almost 80 percent of people have had or will experience this problem once in a lifetime.

The same thing happens with depression. The psychological, social, occupational and personal effects of this disorder are enormous and will be even more so in the future. Therefore, it is a relevant issue that continues to gather more research decade after decade. Living with pain, be it physical or emotional, is inhibiting and affects many areas of people’s lives. Therefore, it is important to clarify the causes and improve the approach mechanisms.

Factors that determine the relationship between depression and back pain

Depression, especially severe depression, is usually followed by intense physical symptoms. In addition to back pain, there are contractures, neck discomfort, headaches, joint pain, gastrointestinal changes, etc. This is not new, and there are actually reports of many people experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder and having all types of physical pain.

Atkinson, Slater, Patterson, Grant, and Garfin (1991) noted that depression and back pain often affect veterans returning from missions in armed conflict scenarios. Thus, studies such as those conducted at Jilin University in China, which specializes in genetic research, provide compelling information about the relationship between these two dimensions. In other words, mood disorders and chronic pain are often two sides of the same coin.

The greater the severity of the depression, the worse the back pain

People face severe depression when low back pain is either mental or emotional. It is the most severe mood disorder and usually the result of a mental problem that is either neglected or not addressed properly.

What researchers observed through X-rays and computed tomography in these situations, is that the brain areas associated with depression are the same as those related to the physical perception of pain.

It can be said that they experience emotional pain in the same way as physical pain. Similarly, they were able to detect that depressive states increase the production of a type of protein, pro-BDNF. This molecule is released in the spinal cord, elevating the experience of pain, especially in the back area.

Chronic conditions of neglected emotional and physical pain

The Freie Universität Berlin and the German health service conducted a study of more than 43,000 people over a year. They wanted to understand the connection between depression and back pain. One thing they observed is that this reality is more common among women, especially after the age of 50. In the same way, they also observed that it affected people who received less emotional, social and psychological support.

Thus, sometimes people can spend long periods of time neglecting this mental state. This depression makes a dent and worsens their emotional state. Finally, the psychosomatic symptomatology lifts and mostly affects the back.

Similarly, it is clear that people with chronic low back pain also have a greater risk of developing a mood disorder. The pain, the limitation in performing basic tasks, being able to work normally and a reduced daily routine ultimately affect their state of mind.

How to treat depression and back pain

Medical professionals recommend using an interdisciplinary approach when dealing with depression and back pain. It is above all important to make an adequate diagnosis and detect the possible presence of other physical or mental conditions. The following approaches are generally useful:

• Pharmacological therapy in the form of antidepressants, painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, etc.

• Cognitive behavioral therapy allows you to work on a person’s dysfunctional thoughts and introduce more adjusted behaviors.
• Stress reduction techniques, such as moderate physical activity, relaxation, deep breathing, meditation and learning coping techniques to deal with emotions.
• Pain rehabilitation programs, such as medical and psychological units that specialize in pain management. The collaboration between physiotherapists, doctors and psychologists also usually gives good results in these cases.

Professionals still develop exciting programs. In fact, research, such as that conducted by Gatchel, RJ, and Turk, indicates the need to achieve “mental deconditioning” in patients. What this means is that there are cases where a person feels completely conditioned by pain and subordinate to their own suffering. Thus, they are unable to move on, and their depression becomes stronger.

Finally, it is necessary to work with this perception and reality in order to achieve small daily advances.