Pain and Mood: Depression Hurts.(research on the link between chronic pain and depression)(Excerpt)(Cover Story)

Byline: James Bakalar (Adapted from the Harvard Mental Health Letter. For more information go to health.harvard.edu/NEWSWEEK.)

Every child knows that a scraped knee can bring tears as well as blood. Physical pain always has emotional overtones, and we now know that emotional distress can be physically painful. Depressed people suffer three times their share of chronic pain, according to recent studies, and people in pain are at high risk of depression. Some studies suggest that if physicians tested all pain patients for mood problems, they might discover 60 percent of all undiagnosed depression. If you're struggling with either problem, there's a good chance you're suffering from both of them.

The link between sensory pain and emotional pain is rooted in the nervous system. Both are governed by the same neurotransmitters (chemicals such as serotonin, norepinephrine and substance P), and both are processed in the same parts of the brain. When the circuitry is working properly, pain and anguish are self-limiting: we recoil from unpleasant experiences, the feelings fade and life goes on. But if a problem persists, or the circuitry malfunctions, the brain's distress signals stay switched on, with devastating consequences. One study found that over a two-year period, a person with a history of migraine was five times more likely than average to have a first episode of depression. In a related condition known as fibromyalgia, the brain's overactive pain ...