Unexplained Pain? It Could Be Depression

Every now and then, when we experience shoulder tightness or backaches, we know it's stress related. But do you know that depression can similarly cause pain in our body?

According to a recent study reported in Science Daily, about 73% of pain and other bodily symptoms seen by doctors in general practice have no physiological causes. Symptoms that cannot be explained in medical terms or cannot be attributed to organic origins are known as somatoform symptoms. Contrary to popular belief, the patient is not imagining the physical sensations; indeed the pain is real and can cause clinically significant impairment in one's daily functioning.

In this study of 308 patients, the researchers found a significantly higher incidence of somatoform pain in patients who are depressed or have had depression in the past year, compared with patients without depression.

I'm reminded that in many cultures, depression can look very different from that as described by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV-TR). The DSM includes feelings of emptiness, worthlessness, excessive guilt, and thoughts of death amongst its criteria for major depression. The affective (feelings) and cognitive (thoughts) dimensions of depression may not play a prominent role in non-western cultures. For example, depression among the Chinese population often manifests in the forms of bodily aches, digestive difficulties, and obstruction of the flow of qi (energy) within the body.

If you're experiencing discomfort or pain in any part of your body for which your doctor is unable to determine any medical causes, do some research online or talk to a mental health professional to see if there could be underlying psychological issues.