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Depression and Chronic Illness
Depression is one of the most common -- and potentially
dangerous -- complications of every chronic illness. According to one survey
depression was found to be common in patients diagnosed with: recent heart
attacks (45%), hospitalized cancer patients (42%), recent stroke survivors
(40%), and people with multiple sclerosis (40%), Parkinson's disease (40%), and
diabetes (33%).
Any chronic condition can trigger depression, but risk increases
in direct proportion to the severity of the illness and the life disruption it
causes. In the general population, the lifetime risk of depression is 10%
to 25% for women and 5% to 12% for men. However, the prevalence of depression in
those with chronic illnesses is much higher -- 25% to 33%.
Depression caused by chronic illness often aggravates the
illness, especially if the condition causes pain, fatigue, or disruption of
social life. Depression makes pain hurt more. It causes fatigue and lethargy
that can exacerbate the loss of energy of many chronic conditions. Depression
also aggravates social disruption because it tends to make people withdraw into
social isolation.
Depression also impairs the immune system, which can hurt the
body's efforts to combat chronic illness.
[ Up ]
[ Depression Biochemistry ] [ Depression and Anxiety ] [ Depression and Loss of Sex Drive ] [ Depression and Sleep Problems ] [ Depression and Suicide ] [ Depression and the Elderly ] [ Depression and Adolescents ] [ Depression and Chronic Illness ] [ Depression and Weight ] [ Co-occurence of Depression with Other Illnesses ]
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