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Behavioral Health and Chronic Pain: Why Treating One Helps the Other
Chronic pain is defined as having pain that lingers for three months or more, anywhere on the body. It may result from an injury that didn’t heal properly, degeneration in the spine or other joints, an illness, or it may have no identifiable cause.
But pain can extend its reach beyond the neck, back, or limb. Researchers know that pain can also lead to depression, anxiety, and other behavioral health problems. Studies show that people with fibromyalgia, a condition of widespread body pain, are 20% more likely than the average person to develop chronic depression or anxiety.
Board-certified anesthesiologist Dr. Michael Kullman and our expert team treat chronic pain as well as depression, anxiety, and other behavioral health problems at our offices in White Plains and Pleasant Valley, New York, primarily with ketamine infusion therapy.
Because the physical and emotional conditions are so inextricably linked, treating one helps the other. Here’s what you need to know.
The pain and behavioral health circle
Being in chronic pain is a battle, and having to wage it day after day can easily put you on edge or make you feel there’s no hope for getting rid of it, causing excessive worry or a low mood.
On the flip side, being anxious or depressed sensitizes your nervous system and makes it more likely that you’ll experience physical symptoms, such as:
- Having an increased heart rate
- Hyperventilating
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Becoming fatigued easily
- Having difficulty sleeping
- Having an upset stomach or other digestive problems
And while you’re dealing with these issues and your defenses are down, your nerves can send off even more pain signals, worsening the original condition or developing a new painful area.
Part of the problem is that pain shares some biological mechanisms with both anxiety and depression.
The somatosensory cortex in the brain interprets sensory information, interacting with the amygdala, the hypothalamus, and the anterior cingulate gyrus – all regions known to regulate both emotions and stress – and this interaction creates both the mental and physical experiences of pain. Interestingly, these same regions also play a role in expressing anxiety and depression.
In addition, the neurotransmitter serotonin is known to contribute to pain signaling in the brain, and its depletion is believed to lead to how anxiety and depression manifest.
A psychological condition may lower the body’s threshold for pain tolerance, too. About 65% of patients who seek treatment for depression also report at least one painful symptom.
How does ketamine help?
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic, originally used as a veterinary tranquilizer before moving into operating rooms. It’s recently found new life as a therapy for treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and PTSD, as well as a means of controlling pain.
Ketamine infusion therapy works in two ways: It inhibits a pain receptor in the spinal cord that interferes with pain transmission throughout your body, and it disrupts the neurotransmitter glutamate, which is involved in both mood and pain regulation. By treating one problem, you treat the other, as well.
We also recommend that you make an appointment with our behavioral coach, Casey Renee Rogers, an experienced Psychedelic Integration Coach and certified Cognitive Behavioral Facilitator. Integration allows you to build on your ketamine therapy experiences to help transform unhelpful patterns of thought and behavior into positive change.
Dealing with pain and a behavioral health problem? Then, it’s time to schedule a consultation with Dr. Kullman. Call our office at 914-465-2882, or visit our website for more options.