On this post by Dr. Kathleen Young is a brief checklist for depression. Anyone in chronic pain would test positively for depression on any given day. There is a devilishly intimate relationship between pain and depression. We need to pat ourselves on the back when we are able to avoid its abyss. But we need to be reminded that depression is a force to be reckoned with and can often get beyond our control to deal with it. And that it is OK to seek counseling.
It is commonly known that pain patients often fall prey to the downward spiral of depression. So why aren’t physicians more apt to address this aspect of pain and dispense counseling scripts with pain scripts? We need to continue to push for more education and awareness regarding the close relationship between these two forces.
How have you dealt with depression and pain?
Mary Byrne Eigel 