Dealing with Chronic Pain

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Chronic pain can be very destabilizing for anyone, but especially for people with bipolar disorder.

The way bipolar individuals perceive their pain can critically affect their recovery.

Mental health management is an essential—but often missing—aspect of chronic pain treatment.

The minute I woke up I knew it was going to be one of those days. The sun was streaming into my bedroom, and its brilliance hurt my eyes. I turned on the news and the weatherman announced in an annoyingly chipper voice that we could expect yet another spectacular sunny day in SoCal. “Perfect for that long walk on the beach you’ve been wanting to take,” he said. I shut him off and scowled.

A long walk on the beach? I can barely walk my poor dog down the street, and I love her beyond measure.

If you’ve been reading this blog for the past few months, you’ll know why I’m so cranky. I’m in chronic pain from an auto accident eight months ago, when an Uber driver ran a red light and totaled my car. Until then, I’d always thought of whiplash as the dubious invention of ambulance-chasing lawyers. But the unrelenting pain in my neck and right shoulder has taught me otherwise. It’s real, it hurts like hell, and apparently it’s not going away anytime soon, despite constant attempts at........

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