In recent years, depression has become one of the major health challenges that face different health care systems around the world. Depression is essentially a mental disorder which affects a person’s mood, leaving them consistently hopeless or sad. Depression is caused by changes in the functioning of the brain, which in turn affects the physical and mental development of the body. Apart from affecting the mental and physical well-being of an individual, depression can increase a person’s risk of contracting certain illnesses and various conditions ( Fu, & Vanlandingham, 2012) . Due to the increased threats of depression, this paper seeks to discuss some of the mental and physical health effects of depression.
Physical Effects of Depression
The physical effects of depression on the body are caused by various changes in the brain which in turn affect body systems. For example, a person can become more sensitive to pain in the event where the abnormal functioning of neurotransmitters such as serotonin affects their threshold for pain. Serotonin can also interfere with sleep patterns and reduce a person’s sex drive ( Fu, & Vanlandingham, 2012 ). Sexton et al. note that almost half of the people suffering from depression have lower sex drives. Some of the physical symptoms that develop due to depression include chronic fatigue, loss of appetite, insomnia or in other cases oversleeping, reduced sex drive, increased aches and pain in the victim’s body. Other physical effects of depression on the body include the increased risk of heart diseases, weight loss, and worsening chronic health conditions (2017). Weight loss is mainly caused by reduced appetite among the people suffering from depression. The high risk of heart diseases is caused by the lack of motivation to make positive lifestyle choices such as daily exercises and eating healthy diets. Fu and Vanlandingham (2012) also argue that depression in itself might be an independent risk factor for heart diseases. Research published in 2015 concluded that one in every five people with coronary artery disease is depressed.
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Leijten et al. observe that most of the people suffering from depression together with their families often overlook the physical effects of the condition. In a certain research project, researchers found out that symptoms such as insomnia, loss of appetite, and body pains were often brushed aside by victims as being part of the natural aging process (2015). It is therefore important for healthcare professionals as well as the victims to be aware of the main physical signs that come with depression to seek intervention before depression causes more damage to their health.
Mental Health Effects of Depression
There are also various ways that untreated depression can affect mental health. One of the most adverse effects of depression on the mental health of an individual is that it affects the thought process of a victim thus affecting the quality of judgment that is made by the victim. Additionally, since the victims of untreated depression are always in a bad mood, they can easily develop suicidal thoughts if no intervention is provided ( Sexton et al., 2017) . Sexton et al. (2017) further state that most of the suicides recorded in many areas around the globe were due to the mental effects of depression on the minds of individuals. Leijten et al. also note that untreated depression may affect the mental states of the victims causing them to exhibit frustration, anger, and violent behavior. To cope with the mental effects of depression, most of the victims turn to drug and alcohol abuse. It is clear that heart diseases have adverse mental effects on people (2015). It, therefore, is important for the victims to seek medical help as soon as they start exhibiting the mental symptoms of depression.
Treatment of Depression
It is estimated that more than 80 percent of the people suffering from depression can be treated successfully. One of the best and most effective methods of treating depression is through the use of psychotherapy drugs and psychotherapy. Another method of treating depression involves the victim talking to people close to them and expressing what might be affecting them. Venting out plays a huge role in ensuring that a person does not think about the negative things in their lives. Finally, electroconvulsive therapy or ECT is another effective method where the victims fail to respond to medication ( Fu and Vanlandingham, 2012 ).
Conclusion
In summation, depression is one of the biggest challenges facing healthcare systems around the world due to its physical and mental effects. The physical effects of depression on the body are caused by various changes in the brain which in turn affect body systems. Some of the physical symptoms that develop due to depression include chronic fatigue, loss of appetite, insomnia or in other cases oversleeping, reduced sex drive, increased aches and pain in the victim’s body. There are also several mental effects of depression. One of the mental effects of depression is that it affects the thought process of a victim thus affecting the quality of judgment that is made by the victims. It is therefore important for victims of depression to seek professional help to avoid suffering the effects of the condition.
References
Fu, H., & Vanlandingham, M. J. (2012). Mental health consequences of international migration for Vietnamese Americans and the mediating effects of physical health and social networks: Results from a natural experiment approach. Demography, 49 (2), 393-424. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13524-011-0088-2
Leijten, F. R., M., van den Heuvel, S., G., van der Beek, A., J., Ybema, J. F., Robroek, S. J., . . . Burdorf, A. (2015). Associations of work-related factors and work engagement with mental and physical health: A 1-year follow-up study among older workers. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 25 (1), 86-95. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10926-014-9525-6
Sexton, E., Bennett, K., Fahey, T., & Cahir, C. (2017). Does the EQ-5D capture the effects of physical and mental health status on life satisfaction among older people? A path analysis approach. Quality of Life Research, 26 (5), 1177-1186. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11136-016-1459-3
