Depression and anxiety are a normal part of the experience of anyone who experiences chronic pain. But that's just the beginning. There are so many other aspects of your life that start getting affected. It's the terrible triangle of pain, lack of sleep, and sadness. Depression and irritability lead to fatigue and bone weariness.  You are so sleepy all the time but you can't get a good night's sleep. You want to stop the pain and you want to get to sleep. All this trouble tends to lead to alcoholism, drug abuse, getting surgeries which are unnecessary, and family misery.

Your appetite may be gone or you may eat yourself silly with the pain and depression. It's almost impossible for you to have any kind of social life because you have to be medicated to do much of anything.  As a result, you are no longer a part of your former world. You are less active and perhaps you start to gain weight.  You can't exercise like you used to because it hurts too much. Then your clothes don't fit.  Your life cannot be planned because you don't know when your pain will flare up into a situation where you can't know if you will feel up to going somewhere. That's when you start to feel that there's nothingbetter to look forward to. You are tired, irritable, and isolated.

Anyone who has dealt with getting appropriate medications for pain has run into doctors who feel that you should never get the proper pain relief. Pain is the leading cost of medical care so it is a major problem.  So how do doctors and regulatory government agencies deal with this? They say we should not have narcotic medicine to make us comfortable. There are so many people who need to be made comfortable but they are told they may only be comfortable a few hours per day.  After all, you don't want to become addicted to pain meds. So many of us end up doctor shopping or going to the emergency room.

Again, the feeling of isolation sets in. People who don't know how the pain affects you, including members of your family, cannot really understand. You don't want to have your pain as the main topic of conversation but you don't want anyone dismiss your pain either. That's why support groups are so important to people with chronic pain. You find that there are other people who have many of the same symptoms.

Don't worry about going to such a group. You won't be a 'marked person'. They can give you support you can't get anywhere else. People in the group can explain how they learned to cope and how they made it through the worst.  This can help give you a few ideas. And you can finally let loose and tell other people how horrible you feel without knowing you might be driving them away.

If you have chronic pain and depression, here some benefits to joining a support group:

You are among people like you who have had the same bad experiences. You don't feel like such an odd ball. When the people in the group talk, they will be saying things that you relate to.  They will know what you are feeling and thinking and they won't disapprove. You can let your hair hang down and spill your guts.

It's a chance to meet new friends. They will listen and also get you to laugh some about what all you have been through. And you will have a network of people who can give you new information and share with you what didn't work for them. Even if you are a shy person, I would encourage you to at least try one of these groups. They are in your community and on the internet. If you are too depressed to be around anyone, you are not getting the right medication.   The group would be able to tell you that right away and give you encouragement.

With chronic pain and depression, you will need treatment based on how severe this deadly combination is for you. You will most likely get pain medication and antidepressants.  The main thing for you to know is that if you have bad side effects, demand that your medication be changed. Insurance companies will pay for your medications in most cases.  Often they will also pay for counseling as to how to handle your chronic illness such as diabetes. Don't expect them to pay for much talk therapy.

Some people swear by chiropractic adjustments for spinal pain. Others say that acupuncture has helped them. The main thing for you to understand is that chronic pain can't be cured most of the time. I about fell over when my doctor told me to forget finding a cure, that there was none.  But you can get some relief from your pain and you definitely can get relief from your depression with the right medication.  Do not give up. Insist that you get the best help there is to get.  You deserve it.