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December 17, 2003Your Body May Know You're Depressed Before You DoIf you suffer from chronic aches and pains, it may be your body's way of telling you you're depressed. A new national campaign, sponsored by professional and patient advocacy groups, is now raising public awareness of the link between pain and depression. The goal is to target millions of Americans who don't get treatment because they think that depression is only associated with mood and sadness. A survey by "Freedom From Fear," a non-profit patient advocacy group, found almost half of the respondents said physical symptoms disrupted their family life. Forty-three percent said their social lives suffered and 40 percent said their work was adversely affected. According to both psychiatrists and pain specialists, pain is frequently a symptom of depression and often times is a primary symptom that patients express to their doctors. It's proven that depression can elevate the pain signal in the emotional center of the brain. One key factor may be an imbalance in norepinephrine and serotonin -- two neurotransmitters that regulate mood and inhibit pain. Medically restoring this balance can reduce the suffering of pain and depression. Depression affects more than 19 million American adults each year and studies show that 80% complain to their doctors first about physical symptoms. Experts recommend that patients talk to their physician about both their mood and their painful physical symptoms. For more information, log onto www.paindepressionlink.com. December 2003 (Newstream) -- --------------- Produced for Freedom From Fear, American Psychiatric Foundation and The National Pain Foundation Contact:
Sandra Stahl --------------- |
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