Most of us at one time or another have heard that mental stress can take a toll on us physically, but to what extent, exactly? Also, for those suffering with mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety (in which stress is frequently handled in a nonproductive manner) is it possible for this exertion to cause actual bodily damage?
Medical professionals seem to think that the answer to this question is most certainly “yes.”
Primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, as well as other clinicians commonly find more than half of their patients diagnosed with depression commonly report idiopathic symptoms. (The term “idiopathic” refers to a symptoms which has no known physical or organic origin. ) Some of these symptoms include (but are not limited to) joint, limb, and back pain, gastrointestinal issues, chronic fatigue, seizure-like symptoms, and changes in appetite which cause significant weight gain or loss.
The American Pain Foundation states that up to 60% of patients with depression also suffer from chronic and sometimes debilitating pain disorders such as fibromalgyia and arthritis. In addition to antidepressant medications, many of these patients are also prescribed opioid painkillers or atypical painkillers for neuropathic pain. It is unclear sometimes whether the depression is a direct result of the pain, or the pain a result of the co-occurring depressive disorder.
The Center for Disease Control affirmed at the beginning of 2011 that at least 1 in 10 Americans are diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, but that due to misdiagnosis the prevalence could be significantly higher. According to the CDC, many of these people suffering from depression also suffer from symptoms of anxiety, as the two seem to go hand in hand.
The mechanism of anxiety in part is a surge of the natural chemical adrenaline, which is released into the body from glands which sit directly on top of the kidneys. Normally, appropriate amounts of adrenaline are released into the blood to produce productive levels of stress, which are motivating and healthy. In persons with anxiety, however, larger amounts of adrenaline may be released for longer periods of time, resulting in symptoms such as increased heart rate, an increase in blood pressure, headaches, sweating, and tremors (shaking.) When too much adrenaline is released for too long on a long-term basis, potentially permanent damage to the bodily organs (including the heart and kidneys) can result.
It has been made clear from many studies in different branches of medicine that depression and anxiety are, in fact, not just illnesses of the mind, but instead, potentially dangerous diseases that can affect many systems of the body, thus warranting prompt diagnosis and adequate treatment. Luckily, both depression and anxiety are highly treatable, so if caught early, the chances of them affecting the body in a permanent physical manner can be greatly reduced or fully avoided even.
References:
http://www.painfoundation.org/learn/living/chat-transcripts/pain-and-depression.html
http://www.cdc.gov/features/datastatistics.html