Do You Suffer From Anxiety Disorder In Conjunction With Chronic Pain?
Anyone can suffer from Anxiety Disorder in conjunction with chronic pain, while this is not always the case. For a few individuals, Anxiety Disorder may be accompanied by chronic pain and this makes the condition more complex for the sufferer. In a few cases, it has been seen that the patients initially suffer from chronic pain and then they gradually develop Anxiety Disorder due to their anticipation of the pain sensation. They are found to be frightened and anxious about thinking of their pain almost all the time.
Fibromyalgia, a kind of chronic pain, is usually associated with Anxiety Disorder. Patients suffering from Fibromyalgia are frequently diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder. Both of these conditions are critical, but symptoms of both can be easily underestimated at the initial phases, since these are not obvious like a broken bone.
Prevalence of the Connection
As reported by Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, people suffering from Fibromyalgia are at much higher risk, nearly seven times more, for having Anxiety Disorder. This group of individuals is also at a higher risk for developing depression.
People suffering from Fibromyalgia may develop chronic Anxiety Disorder when they find that their doctors become unable to diagnose the problem and infer the condition is a result of a mere stress experience. In fact, they develop chronic Anxiety Disorder when they find that their loved ones are unable to understand their condition and imply their pain as a simple imagination cultivated in their head.
Explanation of Possible Connection
Since the pain of Fibromyalgia is so puzzling, it makes other people confused about the actual condition of the victim. They cannot comprehend why the victim is reacting this way, while there is no apparent symptom of pain. So, they consider the victim’s reaction as nothing but imagination, and not in reality true.
On the other hand, since the victim can perceive the other’s reaction about his problem and he can feel that he is virtually unable to make them understand his actual problem, he becomes anxious and exhibits all the symptoms associated with Anxiety Disorder. If this persists for a prolonged time, then these two conditions mutually trigger each other and the situation becomes disabling.
Since there is a strong possibility to also develop Anxiety Disorder, if you are diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, the treatment is dependent on individual needs. First of all, the patients must seek professional help. It is the responsibility of the professional to design an individual treatment plan in collaboration with the patient. There is always a risk of wrong diagnosis, as the Rheumatologist may not be able to successfully diagnose the presence of Anxiety Disorder. The treatment plan must be designed keeping these issues in mind. So, it is always advisable to seek professional guidance from experts having enough experience with Anxiety Disorder.
