Chronic Pain-Induced Depression: A Review of Prevalence and Management

Abstract

Chronic pain is ongoing pain that has persisted beyond standard tissue healing time along with comorbidities such as depression. This article discusses studies that have shown the prevalence of chronic pain and chronic pain-induced depression and explained methods of prevention for these conditions. The molecular mechanisms such as monoamine neurotransmitters, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, inflammatory factors, and glutamate that are similar in chronic pain and depression have also been discussed. This article reviews the methods of management that utilize the identification of these molecular mechanisms to treat this condition further. It also emphasizes the importance of the awareness of chronic pain-induced depression for the upcoming advances in the subject of mental health.

Keywords: chronic pain; chronic pain and depression; chronic pain induced depression; chronic pain induced depression management; depression; depression in chronic illness; management of depression in chronic illness; pharmacological management of chronic pain; prevalence of chronic pain.