Tag Archives: Chronic Pain

Pain a High-Risk Factor for Suicide

People affected by certain mental illnesses have substantially increased risks for developing pain, and some diagnosable mental disorders feature pain as one of their primary symptoms. In a study published in July 2013 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, a multi-institution research team examined the connection between pain and the chances of dying from suicide. The […]

Prescription Painkillers Can Make Chronic Pain Worse

Years ago, Dr. Michael Baron made a surprising discovery: Prescription painkillers often make chronic pain worse, not better. When he published his original research in 2006, this finding defied all logic. “When I told my patients they’d have less pain if they stopped using pain meds, they told me I was crazy,” Dr. Baron recalls. […]

African-American Men with Chronic Pain at Higher Risk for Depression

African-American men with chronic pain related to an accident, injury, illness, surgery, or other causes were more likely to experience depression, affective distress, and disability than white men with chronic pain, according to a new study by the University of Michigan Health System. The persistent pain black men experienced was more severe which might lead […]

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Improves Sleep of Patients with Chronic Pain

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia significantly improved sleep for patients with chronic neck or back pain and also reduced the extent to which pain interfered with their daily functioning, according to a study by University of Rochester Medical Center researchers. The study, published online by the journal Sleep Medicine, demonstrates that a behavioral intervention can help […]

Childhood Abuse Linked to Migraine and Other Pain Disorders

Researchers from the American Headache Society’s Women’s Issues Section Research Consortium found that incidence of childhood maltreatment, especially emotional abuse and neglect, are prevalent in migraine patients. The study also found that migraineurs reporting childhood emotional or physical abuse and/or neglect had a significantly higher number of comorbid pain conditions compared with those without a […]

Associations Explored Between Chronic Pain, Depressive Symptoms in Adolescent School Performance

Adolescents have much to distract them during their school days. A sudden awareness in the opposite sex, new independence as they gain freedom from more restrictive elementary school schedules, and pressure to do well academically and in extracurricular activities keep adolescents’ minds busy. What happens if you throw an additional major circumstance into a child’s […]

Study Suggests Link Between Social Pain and Physical Pain

Individuals throughout the world have felt the impact of social rejection. Whether it occurred in elementary school, high school or the work place, social rejection can wreak havoc on a person’s mental health. Now, research is finding a link between physical pain sensitivity and social pain sensitivity, putting to shame the phrase, “Your words can […]

Major Depression Contributes to Pain Symptoms

Pain is a complicated thing as symptoms cannot always be fully attributed to an organic origin for those suffering from depression. Dirk Frieser, psychologist at the Institute of Psychology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, notes in a recent Science Daily report that women are more frequently affected by depression and by the so-called somatoform pain […]

Emotional State Directly Relates to Pain Levels in RA Patients

It is a well-known fact a person’s emotional state can directly impact their health. The same is also true in the reverse as the physical state can play havoc on mental health. In the case of patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), depression is extremely likely. Science Daily recently published a release showing severe chronic pain […]

Antidepressant Therapy Combined with Pain Self-Management Improves Patient Outlook

Pain is the most common reason that an adult will visit a primary care physician. Depression is the most common mental complaint that requires a doctor’s appointment. For as many as half of patients, these often occur together at the same time. Science Daily recently published a release examining a report from researchers from the […]

Long-Term Use of NSAIDs Is Dangerous for Elderly People, Experts Say

Most people don’t think about the consequences of taking too much ibuprofen or aspirin over time. But experts say that people over 75 should think twice before using NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) to treat their pain, especially if the pain and pill-taking are chronic. In late April, a panel of the American Geriatrics Society removed […]