Dr. Jameca CooperForensic Psychology Consultant, Emergence Psychological Services · Board Certified Counseling Psychologist and Forensic Psychology Consultant

Why Depression hurts. #mentalhealth #fyp #disease #symptoms #depression

19 Jun 2024 · 1 min

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In this brief explanatory video, Dr. Jameca Cooper (or an unnamed speaker) outlines the physiological link between depression and physical pain. The speaker explains that the same brain pathways and neurotransmitters—particularly serotonin and norepinephrine—underlie both emotional distress and somatic pain, leading to a high prevalence of pain complaints among people with depression, such as sore muscles, tightness, and inflammation-related illness. The monologue highlights that while exercise and physical activity are effective remedies for chronic pain, individuals suffering from pain often avoid exercise because it initially increases discomfort. The speaker concludes that because depression itself is painful, alleviating physical pain through exercise can also help mitigate depressive symptoms, suggesting a bidirectional therapeutic opportunity.

Chapters

Depression is painful. Depression can also cause pain. And what maybe all people don't know is that it's a reason for that. Some of those same brain pathways that involve pain and pain receptors also involve the same neurotransmitters that cause depression, such as serotonin and norepinephrine, which is why you see such a high rate of people who are depressed that also complain about pain. Or sore muscles, tightness, illness that results from inflammation, because the same pathways can cause it. Now, what's often the remedy or helps the situation of the chronic pain is exercise and physical activity, but usually it is the one thing that people with chronic pain refuse to do because it makes them be in more pain. But depression is painful, remember that. So if you can treat your pain, sometimes you can treat your depression.