Mental State and Pain

Psychological factors can impact how someone experiences pain, and pain can also affect someone's psychological state. This relationship is complex and multifactorial. For example, negative emotions like fear, anxiety, and depression can increase pain disability. Fear can also increase avoidance behavior. Positive emotions, on the other hand, might decrease pain. Pain can also produce changes in a person's psychological state, especially when the pain is recurring or persistent. For example, someone's pain experience can change over time, even if they're experiencing the same painful event. Some other examples of how psychological factors can impact pain include: 

• Anxiety: Can make you feel queasy or nauseated 
• Fear: Can cause a sinking feeling in your belly 
• Emotional pain: Can accompany mental disorders like depression, and may also amplify physical pain 

If you're finding that your responses to pain are consistently affecting your mood or ability to function, you can talk with your primary care doctor or ask for a referral to a pain specialist. You can also seek help from a mental health professional, such as a social worker, or contact a mental health hotline.