Chronic pain produces a disturbance in the brain regions that control mood and motivation.
Sadness can turn into depression and it is not just something mental. Photo: Shutterstock.
People who suffer from rheumatic diseases such as fibromyalgia also suffer from chronic pain, being exposed to this pain for a long time can lead to anxiety and sadness due to not being able to carry out daily activities. However, sadness can turn into depression and it is not something simply mental, this reaction might have a scientific answer.
Various studies have tried to establish the causes and the relationship between depression and chronic pain, but it had only been found that patients suffering from diseases with chronic pain simultaneously present high levels of depression.
It seems that the relationship between pain, anxiety and depression is an issue that cannot be detached, because according to a study conducted by the University of California in Los Angeles, chronic pain produces an alteration in the regions of the brain that control mood and motivation.
“By affecting depression-related pathophysiological functional areas across the blood-brain barrier, inflammatory signals can induce changes in neurotransmitter metabolism, neuroendocrine function, and pseudoplasticity.”
