It is clear and it has now been established that depression is a real problem and needs to be treated like one. In this chapter, let’s delve into the details of the damages it causes. We now know that depression is a mental disorder. However, the side effects it has on the physique cannot be ignored. The physical symptoms may be the first ones to become evident when it comes to mental illness.
The connection of the mind and body has been explained, depicted and narrated over time through multiple modes and mediums. Each one has its theory. Irrespective of where your belief lies, the fact that there is a connection between the mind and body is irrefutable. Depression makes complete use of it and affects you both mentally and physically.
Physical effects of Depression
It is very common to exhibit physical symptoms when you are suffering from depression. Vague aches and pains are commonly exhibited symptoms. These include chronic pain in the joints, the limbs start to ache accompanied by back pain. Gastrointestinal problems and sleep deprivation, psychomotor activity changes, tiredness and fatigue, and gradual or even a sudden drop in appetite are not uncommon.
Gastrointestinal problems and loss of appetite usually go hand in hand.
It is worrying to see the number of people not realizing that they are depressed. It makes it almost impossible for them to undergo treatment. It has also been noticed that a fair number of patients that suffer from depression, who do decide to seek professional medical help, fail to describe the mental attributes or symptoms and end up describing only the physical symptoms, which makes it difficult for their doctor to diagnose depression. To them, it will only seem like a physical illness and treatment will be given only for the physical illness and not the mental side of it.
Depression and physical pain have a much deeper biological link than the good old ‘cause and effect.’ The neurotransmitters that are responsible for the influence of pain and mood are called serotonin and norepinephrine. Dysregulation of serotonin and norepinephrine is directly linked to both depression and pain.
Usually, as the first line of treatment, antidepressants are prescribed. These antidepressants inhibit the reuptake of both the transmitters affecting the physical symptoms. When the acute emotional symptoms have been abated, many physicians around the globe suggest that patients go into remission. However, the residual symptoms that include physical symptoms are immensely common and have a high chance of increasing the likelihood of a relapse. The symptoms, all of them, must be measured and accounted for if you want to achieve full remission.
There are a bunch of accurate yet short measurement tools or rating scales that are available to measure the amount of remission of the physical symptoms as well as the emotional ones. These tools should not be treated as the only mode of diagnosis. If symptoms are exhibited, then going to a medical professional is advised.
A study by the World Health Organization of the somatic symptoms in the presentation of depression shows that out of the 1146 patients that hail from 14 different countries are included in the survey that have met the criteria for depression. Out of these, 69% were reported as showcasing only somatic symptoms as the cause for their visit. Somatic symptoms are showcased when a person suffering from depression starts getting anxious with regard to their physical symptoms such as pain and fatigue.
The patient suffering from this has intense thoughts, feelings and fears causing a huge hindrance in their day-to-day life. Unfortunately enough, depression can very often go undiagnosed in such cases. The physical symptoms that are associated with depression may be interpreted as the patient only showcasing somatic illness and not signs of depression.
If you or someone you know is displaying a high number of physical symptoms, then it might be a cause of worry, and professional help is needed. However, if there are only a few physical symptoms, there is a high probability that the patient is not suffering from a mood disorder.
A study that involved a thousand adult primary care clinic patients revealed that the number of physical symptoms present is greatly predictive of the mood or mental disorders and also functional impairment. Among the patients that reported zero to one physical symptoms, a total of 2% were diagnosed with mental or mood disorders.
Although patients who reported nine or more physical symptoms showed a whopping 60% who were diagnosed with mental disorders. Thus, the link between physical and mental capacity needs to be recognized. Overall, it became evident that the presence of any physical symptom approximately doubled the chances of the patient having a mental disorder.
Psychological effects of Depression
Yes, depression ruins everything and it starts with your mood. This, in turn, is one of the biggest factors when it comes to getting a task done. Will you be able to make that perfect morning coffee if you are not in the ‘mood’ for it? The mood dictates most of our actions and reactions. When you are in the most agitated of moods, the likelihood of you enjoying it is very minimal.
A lot of people don’t seem to grasp the depth and intensity of the control depression has over their thought process, emotions and feelings, and their general overall wellbeing. As we discussed earlier, how people go to their primary care clinic with complaints of only physical symptoms takes us back to the point of the body and mind being more connected than we perceive it to be. Due to the effects depression has psychologically, optimum performance of day-to-day work, social interactions and educational tasks seem intensely overwhelming. It is usually clouded with the sense of emptiness, sadness and the feeling of hopelessness.
The natural result of this ends up being harmful to the patient, especially in the long run. How often do we come across a boss who understands the employee’s lack of productivity and attributes it to the depression the employee is suffering from?
Personal and professional growth for the employee is halted the moment he/she has stopped being productive. In a competitive world, like we are living in today, not being productive can result in more pressure especially from those who may want to jump into your job.
It is scary, isn’t it? Ironically enough, that has been cited and recorded as one of the leading causes of depression. Missing out on the daily routine also makes patients miss out on achieving the goals they had once set with aspirations to reach the very top. Remember, if you or anyone you know is going through this, then do not worry. As has been reiterated multiple times in this book, ask for help and that is the best thing you can do. Treating depression rather than ignoring it can help the patient overcome it.
Apart from the worldly factors, there are a number of internal systems that are responsible for our wellbeing. If these internal systems do not function as they are supposed to or if there is a hindrance in these systems, they cause the psychological effects of depression.
These psychological effects directly target your emotions, moods and feelings. Have you ever seen people talking about not being their “old self”? What does this mean? Do we sideline this? After all, every human being is naturally programmed to learn constantly and stay updated; we learn and experience new things.
Can this be classified as growth or change in a human? Does this qualify for not being your old self? The answer when we are talking about depression is simple. It is a big fat NO! You might be caught off-guard with these new feelings and even feel alienated, as you are unfamiliar with the changes that are happening to you.
In the case of the psychological effects of depression, unlike the blues, the symptoms are persistent, almost all day and every day at least for a minimum of two weeks.
Here is a quick way of checking the psychological symptoms and what to look out for to find out if the symptoms lead to a diagnosis of depression. Watch out for these signs and, upon noticing any of them, the ideal thing to do is talk to a medical professional about it. It is better if the professional is trained in mental health.
Symptom – Your mood seems depressing for the most of the day.
What am I looking out for? – Expressing sadness or feeling the blues, the feeling of emptiness or hopelessness or the feeling of being in the dumps.
Symptom – your interest level in almost everything that was once enjoyed by you is at an all-time low or is getting low.
I am talking about the things that you used to enjoy on a day-to-day basis. For example, going for a run in the morning was the best thing you loved about your day, but now it has become a task that seems to be forced upon you.
What am I looking out for? – Abandonment of activities that you once enjoyed, avoiding social interactions with friends and family, reduction of sex drive and the reduction of enjoyment during sex, the feeling of being numb or even emotionless.
Symptom – You have recurring suicidal thoughts, or you talk about death most of the time.
What am I looking out for? – Thoughts of death concern you more than just the fear of dying, persistent thoughts and attempts to harm you.
Symptom – You feel guilty and worthless nearly every day.
What am I looking out for? – You start feeling guilty about things that you have no control over. The guilt lasts much longer than it used to. You constantly express the feeling of being unworthy of good things ever happening to you. You are so preoccupied with your past failures that you do not see the ray of hope that carries a bundle of opportunities.
