Over the past twenty five years I have seen many people become depressed and even suicidal as a result of living with an under-treated or mismanaged chronic pain condition.  There are  many reasons why this happens to be sure but one reason I’ve noticed very frequently is either the patients or their providers are afraid to utilize certain types of medication.  I remember in 2001-2002 that in many states Medicare quit allowing coverage for OxyContin—no matter what the pain condition was.

On the other hand I’ve seen many other instances where the problem was too much medication and addiction.  A common side effect of opiate addiction is moderate to severe depression and when the person also has a coexisting chronic pain condition the depression is even worse.  Fortunately, I’ve also seen many people move from despair to hope.  One of the articles on my website’s articles page From Despair to Hope: A Recovery Story, shows how Jerry moved out of his depression and hopelessness and got his life back on track.   Jerry demonstrated how to move from experiencing his pain as suffering to learning to make peace with his pain and manage it effectively.

Many people are not as fortunate as Jerry.  One big problem area that is currently a travesty is our wounded military personnel not receiving the treatment the so richly need and deserve.  We saw last year the scandal of the military hospitals and now I understand the Vets have to pay to get Veterans Administration (VA) benefits.  What’s up with that?  When I talk about this at my trainings many people say “well what can I do; I’m only one person?”  One thing I suggest is get out of that helpless space and start communicating with your elected officials that this is not right.  One person can make a big difference and as a past president once said; (John Kennedy) everyone should try!