Depression and Physical Ailments

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Depression frequently goes hand-in-hand with physical illness. Particularly noteworthy are thyroid or other hormonal disorders, which appear to affect brain chemistry and bring about depression. For newly diagnosed patients, most doctors will order blood tests to rule out thyroid problems, simply because this is so common.

Another known cause of depressive symptoms is chemotherapy (depression in cancer patients). The reasons for this aren't clear. It's possible that the chemotherapy medications themselves bring them about (either by directly affecting brain chemistry, or indirectly by disturbing hormone balance, or causing fatigue and generally draining the body), but just as likely is that the length and severity of treatment create feelings of despair and anguish, which become depression.

Similarly, depression often accompanies chronic pain, because of long, exhaustive and ultimately ineffective treatments. And quite understandably, many of the terminally ill experience depression, for reasons which are obvious.

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Finally, it's worth noting that anyone who already has clinical depression, may have this condition aggravated by the onset of a physical illness. Even something as minor as a cold or the flu can make a depressed person feel worse about themselves and worsen their depression.

For more on:
Medical Illness and Depression

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