Chronic Pain and Mental Health

Pain, be it of an acute or chronic nature, is believed to occur when the thalamus interprets signals (sent via the central nervous system in response to a stimulus), as pain.  Acute pain, where there is actual physical damage to the body, generally heals within a 3 month period.  However, clinicians assert that persistent pain can last beyond the expected period of healing, which tends to be 3+ months.  In many cases of chronic pain, it is suggested that the pain signals are constantly activated and the brain continually interprets these signals as pain, even in the absence of any physical injury or tissue damage.  

The pain experience is thought to be significantly influenced by mental, emotional, and behavioural processes.  For instance, firstly, it is our perception, or the meaning we attach to pain signals that determines the pain experience.  Moreover, perceptions of pain can also be influenced by prior beliefs, expectations, and other thought processes.  For example, what it means to experience certain types of pain; beliefs about whether it is possible to recover, or not; constantly worrying about the effects of pain (e.g. I’ll be disabled forever); worry over the duration of pain, and generally just constantly thinking of the worst case scenario.  Common emotional reactions to the negative thinking patterns can take the form of fear, anxiety, anger, frustrations, guilt and depression; all of which can significantly worsen the intensity and duration of pain experiences. Furthermore, the strategies deployed to treat or cope with pain can influence its severity and healing time, (Steven, 2011).  

The evidence-based field of German New Medicine also highlights that chronic pain can be caused due to the development of negative core beliefs and emotions that occur in response to experiencing environmental stressors or conflicts.  For example, musculoskeletal pain is found to result from self-devaluation conflicts such as ‘I am not strong, smart, beautiful, worthy enough’, whilst a severe loss of self-worth tends to underpin bone and joint pain.  Unresolved, these conflicts can lead to prolonged states of active stress, eroding the organs affected, and resulting in cycles of chronic pain.  

Moreover, recent studies suggest that people suffering from mental disorder are at a far greater risk of developing chronic pain; whilst persistent pain is also associated with the development of conditions such as depression and anxiety.