Depression causes pain - and not only emotional, such as sadness, tears and sense of hopelessness, but also physical. Studies published in foreign medical journals show that depression can also manifest itself as physical pain.
Cultural differences
Although we do not often think about depressed as a physical pain, in some cultures it is so, especially in those where Tabu is openly talking about mental health. For example, in Chinese and Korean cultures, depression is considered a myth. Therefore, patients, without suspecting that physical pain may be a sign of psychological disorder, turn to doctors to treat their physical symptoms, and not to describe depression. But keeping in mind these physical symptoms are just as important as emotional effects.
In Asia, the signals of the depression due attention do not pay
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Causes to pay attention to signals
First, it is an excellent way to control your body and mind. Physical symptoms can signal about the approximation of the depressive period or indicate whether you have depression. On the other hand, physical symptoms demonstrate that depression is actually very real and may damage to our common well-being. Here are the seven of the most common physical symptoms of depression:
1. Fatigue or constant reduction in energy level
Fatigue - frequent symptom of depression. Sometimes we are all experiencing a decrease in the level of energy and can feel sluggish in the morning, hoping to stay in bed and watch TV, instead of going to work. Although we often believe that exhaustion is a consequence of stress, depression can also cause fatigue. However, in contrast to daily fatigue, fatigue associated with depression, can also cause problems with the concentration of attention, a sense of irritability and apathy. Dr. Maurizio FAVA, director of the clinical research program in the Boston Hospital of the General Profile of Massachusetts, in the material of the HEALTHLINE edition notes that depressive people often experience non-state sleep, which means that they feel sluggish even after a full night rest. However, since many physical diseases, such as infections and viruses, can also cause fatigue, it is difficult to determine whether exhaustion is connected with depression. One of the ways to prove: although everyday fatigue is a sign of this mental illness, other symptoms, such as sadness, a sense of hopelessness and Angedonia (the lack of pleasure from everyday activity) can also be present at depression.
2. Reducing pain tolerance (or, on the contrary, everything hurts more than usual)
Do you ever have the feeling that your nerves are burning, but you can't find any physical reason for your pain? As it turned out, depression and pain often coexist. One study of 2015 showed a correlation between people in depression, and reduced pain tolerance, while another study of 2010 showed that the pain effectly affects people in depression. These two symptoms do not have a clear causal relationship, but it is important to evaluate them together, especially if the doctor recommends medication. Some studies show that the use of antidepressants can not only help facilitate depression, but also act as an anesthetic, relieving pain.
3. Pain in the back or lubrication in the muscles
In the morning you can feel fine, but when you are at work or sit behind the university desk, you begin to hurt the back. It may be stress or depression. Although they are often associated with poor posture or injuries, they can also be a symptom of psychological stress. The study conducted in 2017 on the example of 1013 students of Canadian universities showed a direct connection between depression and back pain.
Psychologists and psychiatrists for a long time believed that emotional problems could cause chronic pain, but their features are still being studied, for example, the relationship between depression and inflammatory response of the body. Recent studies show that inflammation in the body can have some kind of attitude to neural networks in our brain. It is believed that inflammation can interrupt the signals of the brain, and therefore may be significance for depression and how we treat it.
Headache can talk about psychological problems
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4. Headache
Almost everyone sometimes experiences headaches. They are so common that we often write them off with accounts as nothing serious. Stressful situations at work, such as a colleague conflict, can also cause these headaches. However, your headache does not always be caused by stress, especially if you endured a colleague in the past. If you have noticed that you started daily headaches, it may be a sign of depression. Unlike painful headaches with migraine, headaches associated with depression, do not necessarily worsen the work of a person. This type of headache described by the National Headache Foundation as a "headache of the voltage" can be felt like a slight pulsating feeling, especially around eyebrows. Although these headaches are facilitated by non-delicate painkillers, they are usually repeated regularly. Sometimes chronic headaches of stress can be a symptom of a large depressive disorder.
However, headaches are not the only sign that your pain can be psychological. People with depression often experience additional symptoms, such as sadness, feeling of irritability and reducing energy.
5. Problems with eyes or impairment
Do you think the world looks blurry? While depression can make the world with gray and gloomy, one study conducted in 2010 in Germany suggests that this mental health problem can actually affect vision. In this study, 80 people with depression people were difficult to distinguish black and white images. This phenomenon known to researchers as a "contrast perception" can explain why depression can make the world foggy.
6. Pain in the stomach or feeling of discomfort in the stomach
This is a feeling of abdominal pain - one of the most recognizable signs of depression. However, when convulsions begin in the stomach, it is easy to write off on gases or menstrual pain. Increasing pain, especially when stressing, may be a sign of depression. In fact, the Harvard Medical School researchers assume that discomfort in the stomach, such as spasms, bloating and nausea, can be a sign of poor mental health. According to the researchers from Harvard, depression may cause (or be the result) inflammation of the digestive system with pain, which is easy to adopt for diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome. Doctors and scientists are sometimes called the intestines of the "second brain" because they found the connection between the intestinal health and mental well-being. Our stomach is full of good bacteria, and if there is an imbalance of useful bacteria, symptoms of anxiety and depression may occur. Balanced diet and reception of probiotics can improve the intestinal health, which can also improve the mood, but further research is needed.
7. Problems with digestion or irregular intestinal operation
Problems with digestion, such as constipation and diarrhea, can cause embarrassment and discomfort. It is easy to assume that discomfort in the intestines arises due to the physical illness, often caused by food poisoning or gastrointestinal viruses. But emotions such as sadness, anxiety and depression may disrupt the work of our digestive tract. One study of 2011 from implies the relationship between anxiety, depression and gastrointestinal pain.
Pain - another way to communicate your brain
If you feel discomfort, learning and speaking of unpleasant emotions, such as sadness, anger and shame, it can lead to the fact that the feelings will otherwise manifest themselves in the body. If you are experiencing any of these physical symptoms for a long period of time, sign up for reception to your doctor or nurse. According to the American Psychological Association, depression is one of the most common mental illness, from which 14.8 million adult Americans suffer annually.
Depression can be caused by a variety of factors, such as genetics, stress or injury in childhood, as well as the chemical composition of the brain. People suffering from depressions, professional assistance, such as psychotherapy and medicines, often requires full recovery. Therefore, at the reception, if you suspect that these physical symptoms can be more than superficial, ask for an examination for depression and anxiety. Thus, your doctor will be able to provide you with the necessary assistance.