Being depressed can make real physical pain feel worse, according to a new study.
Depressed mood can alter the pain experience. Despite its clinical relevance, little is known about the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. To study the interaction between pain and depression, researchers used brain imaging to conduct pain tests on 20 healthy participants who were induced to feel sad.
It was found that depressed mood appeared to affect brain nerve circuitry responsible for emotions, resulting in a stronger perception of pain. When the healthy people were made sad by negative thoughts and depressing music, their brains processed pain more emotionally, which made them find the pain even more unpleasant. The researchers noted that depression may not only be a consequence of being in pain. It might actually exacerbate pain, making it worse than it would be for those in a positive frame of mind.
The research suggests depressed mood leads to maladaptive changes in brain function associated with pain, and that depression itself could be a target for treatment by medicines or psychotherapy in this context.
Depressed mood can alter the pain experience. Despite its clinical relevance, little is known about the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. To study the interaction between pain and depression, researchers used brain imaging to conduct pain tests on 20 healthy participants who were induced to feel sad.
It was found that depressed mood appeared to affect brain nerve circuitry responsible for emotions, resulting in a stronger perception of pain. When the healthy people were made sad by negative thoughts and depressing music, their brains processed pain more emotionally, which made them find the pain even more unpleasant. The researchers noted that depression may not only be a consequence of being in pain. It might actually exacerbate pain, making it worse than it would be for those in a positive frame of mind.
The research suggests depressed mood leads to maladaptive changes in brain function associated with pain, and that depression itself could be a target for treatment by medicines or psychotherapy in this context.