How Untreated Depression Can Negatively Impact Your Health 

Over 322 million people live with depression, according to the American Depression and Anxiety Association ^[1] . While depression is a common mental illness, it’s not something to brush off. Depression is serious, and those living with it often need treatment to feel better. There are many different types of depression – including major depression, persistent depressive disorder, and postpartum depression just to name a few. Depending on the type of depression you have, you’ll notice that the symptoms suffered may be as individual as you are. Depression may affect your mental health in many ways, from intense feelings of sadness to a loss of interest in the things that you used to love.

In addition to taking a toll on your mental health, untreated depression can also impact your physical health.

At Next Step 2 Mental Health, our team of compassionate providers wants you to know how depression can impact your physical health. In this article, we’ll explore how depression can affect physical health in adults — and what you can do about it.

Depression Causes Sleep Disruptions

If you’re noticing changes to your sleeping patterns, take note. Changes in sleep habits and patterns is a common sign of untreated depression. You might struggle with:

• Insomnia, either difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep
• Sleeping too much

Regardless of which end of the spectrum you fall into, you may never feel quite rested. When you don’t get the quality and quantity of sleep you need, your body is affected. Poor sleep contributes to:

• Fatigue
• Lack of energy
• Daytime sleepiness
• Irritability
• Brain fog
• Poor memory
• Weakened immune system

A chronic lack of quality sleep can also increase your risk of diabetes and heart disease. ^[2]

Depression and Eating Disorders

There is a strong link between depression and eating disorders. Here are a few facts:

• Depression can lead to either overeating or loss of appetite. Weight gain and weight loss are both symptoms of depression.
• 24% of individuals with bipolar disorder also had an eating disorder ^[3]
• Almost 50% of those who struggled with binge eating had depression ^[3]
• Anxiety and depression can trigger anorexia ^[3]

If you or a loved one are struggling with an eating disorder, you can find the National Eating Disorder Association Crisis Hotline information here.

Depression and Heart Disease

We already covered that depression can contribute to sleep disturbances, and a chronic loss of sleep can increase the risk of developing heart disease. The experts at Cleveland Clinic estimate that 15% of people with heart disease have depression. ^[4]

Researchers continue to link untreated depression and heart disease. A 2015 study published in the journal Circulation highlighted that teenagers with untreated major depression were more likely to develop early-onset cardiovascular disease. ^[5]

Depression Causes Pain and Fatigue

Monica Clark, LPA highlights an important point: “Depression is not just in your head.” She continues to share that depression can cause real, tangible pain. This includes headaches, stomach pain, and muscle tension. Depression can alter the way you experience pain, decreasing your pain tolerance. Not only do you feel pain more acutely, but you also might take longer to recover from exerting activities.

Depression Affects Your Immune System

Did you know that depression can suppress your immune system? You’re more susceptible to illness – such as the flu or a cold — when your immune system is weak.

How does depression suppress your immune system? Depression affects your immune system:

• Lack of sleep can weaken your immune system
• Poor nutrition can also weaken your immune system ^[6]

Remember: ~70% of your immune system in created in your gut. ^[7]

Depression and Libido

Unmanaged chronic depression can cause a low (or nonexistent) libido. A low sex drive can be one of the first warning signs of depression. ^[8] Loss of libido can affect both men and women, but it may be particularly profound for women suffering from postpartum depression. ^[9]

Early Detection and Swift Treatment

While we just covered a lot of serious ways that untreated depression can impact your physical health, it’s important not to brush off these symptoms. Even if you can “push through”, depression treatment can help you feel better.

Depression treatment, which can include medication and therapy, can address the mental symptoms. As your depression is managed, you should see that the physical symptoms improve too.

We’re Here For You

Our team at Next Step 2 Mental Health can help you break the cycle of depression using all a multidisciplinary approach that may include medication, therapy, lifestyle changes — or a combination of these.

We’re just a call or click away. Our Louisville, Kentucky office can be reached at 502-339-2442. You can also request an appointment online.

References:

1. https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/depression
2. https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep-deprivation/effects-on-body#:~:text=If%20you%20don%27t%20get,diabetes%20mellitus%20and%20heart%20disease.
3. https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/eating-disorders/features/eating-disorders#1
4. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16917-depression–heart-disease
5. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000229
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2738337/
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3337124/
8. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/low-sex-drive-could-it-be-a-sign-of-depression
9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5462380/

Learn More

6 Uncommonly Thought Of Depression Symptoms That Shouldn’t Go Unnoticed

When people think of depression, they commonly think of someone who feels sad, lonely, has a bleak outlook on the future, and experiences thoughts of death, dying, or killing themselves. However, depression is a complex mental illness and, while these symptoms are valid and true, there are a host of other ways that you or someone you love may present that also indicates a potential problem with depression.

In this post, we’ll explore the lesser known signs of depression.

Lesser Known Signs of Depression

Below, these symptoms will be explored further:

1. Anger, Irritability, and Mood Swings

While the relationship between anger and depression is complex and not easily understood, research has supported a close relationship between depression and increased feelings of anger, as well as poor ability to regulate emotions, which leads to rapidly changing moods. ^[1] As a result, the individual may experience subjective feelings of irritability and annoyance and may even describe themselves as grouchy or touchy. Loved ones may observe the outward signs of this irritability through increased conflict and argumentativeness. Depressed individuals are biased toward negative information and, as such, will constantly point out the negatives in any situation. Furthermore, they are more likely to ruminate on negative information and thoughts, further exacerbating irritability and anger. ^[1] A person with depression may also experience rapid and unexpected changes in their mood throughout the day, or even rapid changes within the same hour.

They may go from happy to irritable to sad, often without any clear event to provoke the change.

Along with these rapidly changing moods, outbursts of emotions, especially angry outbursts, are not uncommon. ^[2]

2. Feelings of Inferiority and Guilt

Depression can lead to feelings of inferiority and guilt, which leads to anxiety about being unable to cope with day to day life. People with depression worry frequently and may experience recurrent feelings of tension and subjective stress.

Additionally, people with depression may experience other symptoms consistent with anxiety, such as poor concentration and focus, restlessness or difficulty sitting still, ruminating or intrusive thoughts, and difficulties making decisions. An individual with depression may have frequent worries about being a burden to loved ones or may fear being negatively perceived by others for their depression. Frequently, someone with depression may feel unable to identify if they feel depressed or anxious, as the feelings are so closely aligned.

3. Trouble Making Decisions

We all make thousands of decisions each day, often times without even thinking about it. These decisions may involve simple tasks ⁠— such as when to wake up or whether to take a shower ⁠— to more complex decisions, such as what route to take to drive to work. However, despite the automatic nature of these decisions, many people with depression will struggle to make them.

For more complex decisions, such as deciding where to go as a group for dinner, a person with depression may feel paralyzed by an inability to decide. Difficulty making decisions may be related to either internal or external fears. For instance, an external fear may be that their decision would disappoint or create hardship for someone else. Internal fears may include being afraid of making the wrong decision or that they will later regret their decision. People with depression may attempt to relegate as many decisions to others as possible as a defense against their indecisiveness.

4. Loss of Interest

While sadness is most prevalently known, loss of interest in pleasurable activities is a core symptom of depression.

Someone with depression may feel that they have lost the ability to feel joy or pleasure. As a result, they may no longer care about hobbies, social activities, or sex. When presented with opportunities to engage in social activities or hobbies, they will decline, leading them to become isolated or withdrawn. Friends may notice that someone with depression suddenly stops attending group functions or engaging in regular social activities.

5. Alcohol or Drug Use

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse ^[3], people with depression or other mood disorders are twice as likely to abuse substances as those without these disorders. For someone struggling with depression, they may often feel that there is no end in sight and no relief for their symptoms. As such, they oftentimes turn to substances in an effort to self-medicate, combat the symptoms, and find some temporary relief; however, the use of these substances may actually lead to a worsening of depression over time. Other complications may also exist, including becoming addicted to the chosen substance.

6. Physical Pain

Depression is not just in your head.

While depression is most commonly associated with emotional pain, research supports that depression can manifest as physical pain as well. ^[4] Some common physical complaints in individuals with depression include fatigue/exhaustion, decreased tolerance for pain, achy muscles all over the body, but especially muscles in the back and shoulders, headaches, vision problems, stomach pain, digestive problems, and irregular bowel movements.

If You’re Struggling with Depression Symptoms…

At NextStep 2 Mental Health, we provide comprehensive and compassionate depression treatment. Whether you’ve been struggling with depression or another mental health disorder, we can help you feel better. Give us a call at our Louisville, Kentucky office, or send us a message to request more information. 

You can also request an appointment with our convenient scheduling tool here.

About the Author

You can request an appointment with Monica here.  

 

 

 

References

1. Besharat, Mohammad Ali; Nia, Mahin Etemadi; Farahani, Hojatollah. (2013). Anger and major depressive disorder: The mediating role of emotion regulation and anger rumination. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 6, 35-41.
2. Culpepper L. The diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder: Decision-making in primary care. Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. 2014;16(3). doi:10.4088/PCC.13r01609
3. National Institute on Drug Abuse, US Department of Health and Human Services. December 2008, Revised September 2010. Comorbidity: Addiction and Other Mental Illness. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/rrcomorbidity.pdf.
4. Trivedi, M.H. The link between depression and physical symptoms. The Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 6(1), 12-16.

Learn More