depression is common with chronic pain. people with chronic pain often become very depressed and withdrawn -- so much so that they spend more time away from other people. instead of focusing on their personal lives or the lives of their loved ones they become increasingly focused on their pain and suffering which is very real. the many appointments with health care providers to try to find relief combined with the cost of these attempts add to the frustration of chronic pain. common signs of depression may include: disturbances in sleep patterns loss of interest in usual activities weight loss or gain (5% of body weight) fatigue impaired thinking thoughts of dying or suicide depressed thoughts or irritability mood swings staying at home all the time avoidance of special friends difficulty concentrating difficulty getting out of bed feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt agitation or in contrast a general slowing of intentional bodily activity. if you have any of these signs talk with your doctor about depression diagnosis and treatment. often depression is temporary. if needed there are many excellent depression medications and other forms of therapy that may help greatly.
is depression common with psoriatic arthritis?