Why Anger and Recovery From Chronic Pain Are So Incompatible
As a life-long survivor of severe bipolar disorder, I’ve learned to navigate the shoals of mental illness with some degree of dexterity. I protect my mental health the way I’d guard a fragile child or animal: vociferously, and with constant attention. I try never to look the other way, lest depression or mania sneak up on me and sideline my careful recovery. So, it’s with a great deal of consternation that I realize an interloper with harmful intentions has appeared on the scene. It’s not the mood swings I was expecting, but something altogether new to me: chronic physical pain. It started in August last year, when an Uber driver ran a red light and struck my car, totaling both vehicles. Not long after the accident, I began experiencing pain in my neck and right shoulder. I didn’t give it much heed at first, thinking I must have over-exerted myself, or maybe the stress of buying a new car was getting to me. But as the pain grew worse and refused to yield to over-the-counter …
