1. Heart disease
The National Institutes of Heart, Lung, & Blood shows that adults who are diagnosed with major depressive disorder and having symptoms are 64% more likely to develop coronary artery disease. People who are depressed and suffering from Heart disease are 59% more likely to have a heart attack.
A number of studies are done by the American College of Cardiology and shown that heart disease patient who is diagnosed with a depressive disorder are twice as likely to die compared to non-depressed patients. The study stated that depression was the most symbolic predictor of death in heart disease patients.
2. Migraine headaches
Sadly, depression and migraines tend to go jointly. In a study in the International Journal of Behavioural Medicine, it was found that those who are being diagnosed with major depressive disorder significantly intensify the risk of getting migraine headaches. In addition to this, the researchers also concluded that people with severe depression are more likely to suffer from migraines.
3. Chronic pain
People with Depression may feel body pain more intensely. Plenty of research, including findings in a 2016 paper in the Journal of Pain, has shown that depression is associated with increased pain sensitivity. Which can lead to chronic pains that may not disappear with treatment.
The relation between pain and mood disorder goes both ways, as they negatively influence the other. Being both chronically achy and depressed is associated with a litany of other detrimental physical issues.
4. Impaired endothelial function
Depression, mostly when it’s combined with everyday stressors, has a negative impact on blood vessels. According to a study in the Journal of the American Heart Association (2019), People with a mood disorder who reported stress experienced greater impairments in endothelial function when compared with people who are not depressed.
Why is an endothelial function so important?
It is a small layer of cells within the blood vessels of the heart which is responsible for their dilation and constriction. Endothelial dysfunction causes the heart’s blood vessels to constrict rather than dilate, which can result in a heart attack.
5. Weight changes
Depressive disorder can result in weight loss or weight gain. A brain imaging study in The American Journal of Psychiatry looked at brain activity for depressed and normal people it is observed that depressed people with an increased or decreased appetite as well as a healthy control group by viewing the photos of food and non-food items.
Depressed people with increased appetite had intensified the activity in the brain’s reward centres while those with decreased appetite had reduced activity in an area of the brain involved in the ability to understand and respond to the body’s internal signals.
6. Inflammation
Anyhow the evidence from the research suggests that depression is not an inflammatory disease and every person with a mood disorder may not experience high levels of inflammation it is stated that when inflammation does strike, it may increase the risk for serious diseases like heart disease, and cancer.
7. Nutritional deficiencies
In the research, it was shown that nutrient deficiencies are mostly seen in people with depression include low levels of vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, folate, amino acids, and magnesium. These types of nutritional deficiencies are associated with a number of physical health risks.
8. Early death
Unfortunately, having depression raises mortality risk. A meta-analysis of 293 studies in 2014 found that having depression is linked to a 50% increased risk of death. And it was shown by the statistics that half of all deaths by suicide are associated with depression and other mood disorders.
No worries Depression can be overcome easily. Stay Tuned for my next Blog “HOW TO OVERCOME DEPRESSION”
