當精神和情緒上的痛苦變成身體上的痛苦:憂鬱症對身體的影響

Depression can affect a person in many different ways. Many people recognize the mental and emotional effects of depression, but these are not the only symptoms and side effects. There are mental, emotional and physical symptoms of depression. In order to overcome depression, or even recognize that you have it, it's important to understand what depression looks like.

Despite what you may have heard, feelings of depression are not all in your head. Yes, it can have an impact on the way you think, your motivation levels, and your emotions, but its impact can go far beyond that. Depression can bring about a range of physical symptoms that can make daily life challenging.

physical symptoms of depression

While there are not many peer-reviewed studies in humans, studies in animals have shown the effects and connections between gut health and mental health. These studies suggest that what you eat and how you keep your gut healthy may affect your mental health. People also believe that vice versa. Your mental health can affect your physical body.

This may explain many of the physical symptoms of depression. It can also help explain why focusing on self-care, including eating right and exercising, can have a positive impact on your mental health.

chronic pain

Everyone's situation may be different. For example, some people with depression often suffer from headaches. Others experience back pain and even muscle aches and joint pain when they are depressed.

Another type of chronic pain often associated with depression is chest pain. While many people think what they are experiencing could be a heart attack or a more serious problem, it can also be a symptom of depression. This is especially true for those who experience anxiety, panic, and depression.

digestive problems

People with depression often also have digestive problems. Some people experience constipation or diarrhea. Others may experience nausea frequently.

If studies correctly show a link between mental health and gut health, then this makes scientific sense. People with depression may also experience changes in their appetite, which are related to digestion. Some people are unable to continue eating a balanced diet due to depression. They may eat highly processed convenience foods, which their bodies may have trouble digesting. Or they may be unable to eat anything at all, which can cause digestive problems when they eat.

sleep problems

People with depression often experience changes in sleeping habits as well. Some people may find that they sleep much more than usual. When suffering from depressive symptoms, it can be difficult to even motivate yourself to get out of bed. This may cause them to sleep much more than usual.

Others who suffer from depression may find it difficult to fall asleep. They may be plagued by anxious or negative thoughts that constantly run through their heads. This can make it difficult for them to get the rest they need every night.

exhausted

When a person is depressed, it's not uncommon for them to also feel fatigued and exhausted. No matter how much sleep they get each night, they may not feel rested when they wake up.

Mental and emotional symptoms, as well as pain, can cause people with depression to feel hopeless. This can make it difficult for them to feel excitement for life, motivation, or other positive emotions that might help them get on with their day. As a result, they may become exhausted and even small tasks become difficult to complete.

Other symptoms

While these symptoms are the most common symptoms of physical depression, there are others. Some of these may include eye problems such as decreased vision, dizziness, or lightheadedness.

If you're experiencing physical symptoms that you don't understand, they may be related to your mental health. It's important to discuss these with a professional.

The cycle of physical depression symptoms

The physical symptoms of depression, along with mental and emotional symptoms, can create a vicious cycle. When you feel blue, it can be easy to feel unmotivated to do the things you need to take care of yourself. This includes nutritious diet and exercise. When you stop doing these things, you may start to experience more symptoms of depression.

When you don't take care of yourself properly, your physical symptoms may also start to affect your mental and emotional symptoms. For example, if you are feeling depressed and find yourself less motivated to get out of bed in the morning, you may decide not to exercise that day. Because you feel so bad, you don't care much about eating, so you don't get the calories you need.

Lack of exercise and inadequate diet can make you feel more fatigued and exhausted. You may feel guilty and ashamed when you can't do the things you're used to doing in your daily life. Eventually, as the cycle continues, it can leave you feeling like the situation is hopeless and that you'll never regain control of your day, your energy, and your thoughts.

Treatment programs

Depression is a treatable mental health disorder. Talking with a licensed therapist can help you get to the root of your depression. It can also help you understand how to resolve any symptoms you are experiencing. A therapist can teach you important coping strategies that you can use to overcome depression and regain interest in activities you once enjoyed. They can even help you identify symptoms that may not be related to depression and learn how to address them.

There are many different treatments for depression. These include different types of therapies, medications, and many holistic options such as acupuncture and aromatherapy. No matter which option you choose, it's also important to practice proper self-care. Taking care of your body helps you take care of your mind, and vice versa.

Find a therapist

There are many places where you can find therapists to meet with. You can ask for a referral from your GP, your health insurance company or religious organization.

However, the symptoms you are trying to relieve can sometimes prevent you from seeking treatment for depression. Both physical and emotional/mental pain may cause you to stay home instead of going out in public to attend to everyday tasks, such as seeing a doctor or therapist. In these cases, you may be better off scheduling sessions with an online therapist. Web-based counseling allows you to meet with your mental health care provider from the comfort of your home. Plus, you can schedule your appointment at a time that's most convenient for you, day or night.

There is no right or wrong way to treat depression. Research shows that online therapy is a suitable alternative to face-to-face consultations for a variety of conditions, including depression. A meta-analysis confirmed that outcomes from Internet-based treatments were comparable to those from more traditional office-based treatments.

Emotional and Physical Pain: Interactive Symptoms

Chronic pain is the most common reason people seek medical assistance. Until recent years, physical pain was thought to be isolated to the body and unrelated to emotional pain. Scientists are now discovering a close connection between the two. The same part of the brain (the nervous system) processes both types of pain. This means that our feelings of physical and emotional pain all travel through the same neural pathways.

Research shows that people who experience both physical and emotional trauma experience more severe symptoms of each type of trauma than those who experience only one type of trauma.

Understanding this connection is important for medical and mental health professionals as they work with patients to explore the causes of pain and develop effective treatments.

physical symptoms of emotional pain

Emotional trauma can lead to physical symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches, fatigue, and joint pain.

For example, people with depression often also experience joint pain. When you're depressed, neurotransmitters change, causing a range of symptoms, including inflammation, which manifests as joint pain.

Anxiety is often associated with headaches and digestive problems. And, when anxiety leads to a panic attack, physical symptoms include dry mouth, increased heart rate, shortness of breath, and numbness in the hands and feet.

The appearance of the word "heartbreaking" is no coincidence. or “heart-wrenching” that often accompanies discussions of emotional pain. For example, when you go through a painful breakup, your heart can feel like it's being crushed. And if you've ever been injured in a car accident and lost your job, you probably know what "heartbreak" is. method. This isn't just a metaphor - emotional pain is real and can be just as painful as physical pain.

Although pain can be felt anywhere in the body, the most common physical symptom of emotional distress is in the stomach. This is because our brains cannot differentiate between real pain and imagined pain. So if you're worried about something that hasn't happened yet, or you're stressed about something that has already happened, your brain is actually sending a signal to your stomach that it's in trouble. This is why people often feel sick to their stomachs when they're nervous or anxious - their brains think danger is coming and send signals to their organs to prepare.

Emotional Symptoms of Physical Pain

When you're experiencing physical pain, it's easy to ignore your emotional state. But the two are interrelated—ignoring them can make things worse.

If you live with chronic pain, you may worry about the future, lose hope, and feel like a burden to others. This can lead to depression, anxiety, and social isolation, which may increase your sensitivity to pain. If you have had an accident or had a stroke, you may be worried about how your injury or illness will affect your quality of life, income, relationships, or family. These thoughts and emotions can lead to stress, and the body's response to stress is to release cortisol, which can make you feel more anxious and depressed.

In some cases, physical pain may lead to somatic symptom disorder, a mental health condition characterized by an abnormal focus on physical symptoms that results in severe distress or functional problems. Some people with this disorder are diagnosed with a disease but have a disproportionate number of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to the disease. For others, medical conditions have been ruled out and there is no clear diagnosis of symptoms. Because a medical condition may not be the underlying cause of pain, the disorder is sometimes difficult to diagnose and can be very challenging for patients and their medical and mental health clinicians.

dual treatment approach

Because physical and emotional pain overlap, patients often benefit from the simultaneous work of medical and mental health providers. You can start with your doctor or mental health provider, whichever you feel most comfortable with.

If you see a mental health professional, they may ask questions about your medical and physical health conditions and symptoms. At Dakota Family Services, we believe it is important to fully understand the situation and, when appropriate, refer you to your doctor to rule out serious medical conditions. If I'm treating you for depression and you have mononucleosis or thyroid disease, you won't be able to make any progress until the underlying medical problem is also treated.

Chronic pain patients most often start with their medical provider. Your treatment will depend on the underlying cause of the pain and may include medications, physical therapy, surgery, and implantable electrical stimulators.

Because most doctors who treat chronic pain recognize the connection between emotional and physical pain, they will also recommend psychotherapy to help you learn how to cope with your condition. This can include learning stress management and relaxation techniques, as well as identifying triggers for pain, which may be emotional or physical (or both).

Some psychotherapeutic modalities used to treat patients with chronic pain include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR).

  • CBT will help you understand how your ideas develop based on your experiences. How you view yourself and how you respond to the words and actions of those around you are often automatic and based on previous experiences. CBT can help you shift your perspective and perceptions so that you can choose other ways to cope with situations that are causing you distress.
  • DBT is another form of therapy that helps you change thoughts and behaviors that are getting in the way of achieving your goals or living your best life. Using pain tolerance DBT tools, you can learn to accept and live with your pain. It may seem counterintuitive, but strategies that balance acceptance and change can help you shift your energy from avoiding and ignoring pain to discovering and focusing on the positive aspects of your life. Other pillars of this model include mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotion regulation, which all help patients cope with pain.
  • ACT is another therapy that includes mindfulness. It helps a person accept thoughts and experiences as they are rather than trying to change them.
  • MBSR is a therapy based on meditation and yoga. Originally designed for stress management, it is also used to treat a variety of conditions such as depression, anxiety, chronic pain, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, skin and immune disorders. During MBSR, patients learn stress reduction and relaxation techniques to manage symptoms.

Other therapies considered include biofeedback, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), hypnosis, somatic anchoring, and hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy.

Don't suffer in silence

If you're struggling with emotional or physical pain, don't be afraid to ask for help. Not only do you need treatment for your condition, but you also need to find ways to cope with it to help lessen the impact on your mind and body. Combining treatment with other chronic pain treatment options is the best way to relieve pain.

Don’t give up until you get answers or relief!

Review

All comments are moderated before being published

HealthyPIG Magazine

View all
蝦頭可以吃嗎?

蝦頭可以吃嗎?

蝦頭是否含有大量重金屬,應避免食用? 蝦頭的確可能比蝦肉含有較高濃度的某些金屬。這是因為蝦頭及其內部器官(如肝胰腺,負責消化和解毒)會積聚重金屬,如鎘、鉛和汞,以及其他環境污染物。以下是詳細資訊: 為什麼蝦頭可能含有金屬? 生物累積:蝦是底棲生物,可能從生活環境的沉積物中吸收重金屬,特別是...
Aveeno Dermexa Emollient Daily Cream——呵護敏感肌膚的理想選擇

Aveeno Dermexa Emollient Daily Cream——呵護敏感肌膚的理想選擇

現代生活中,敏感肌膚的護理需求越來越受到重視。特別是對於有乾燥、癢感或其他皮膚問題的朋友來說,一款有效又溫和的保濕霜是必不可少的。今天,我們來推薦一款深受歡迎的產品:Aveeno Dermexa Emollient Daily Cream。這款產品以其卓越的護膚效果和溫和配方,成為敏感肌膚的理...
Transform Your Home with the Philips Smart 1000i Air Purifier: Allergy Relief Meets Smart Living

Transform Your Home with the Philips Smart 1000i Air Purifier: Allergy Relief Meets Smart Living

In today’s fast-paced world, where indoor air quality often goes unnoticed, the Philips Air Purifier Smart 1000i Series offers a breath of fresh ai...
皮質醇管理:如何控制皮質醇?我們能夠自行管理或調節劑量嗎?

皮質醇管理:如何控制皮質醇?我們能夠自行管理或調節劑量嗎?

皮質醇是一種在壓力反應中發揮重要作用的激素,適量的皮質醇可以幫助我們應對壓力和維持健康。然而,過量或長期的高皮質醇水平可能會對身體帶來負面影響。以下我們將探討如何控制和管理皮質醇,包括自然方法、藥物干預、以及測量皮質醇的方式。 1. 自然方法調節皮質醇 壓力管理技術:研究顯示,冥想、深呼吸...
皮質醇是什麼?它如何影響我們的身體與日常生活?

皮質醇是什麼?它如何影響我們的身體與日常生活?

皮質醇(Cortisol)是一種由腎上腺分泌的激素,通常被稱為「壓力荷爾蒙」。它的主要功能是幫助身體應對壓力情境,並且在多種生理過程中扮演重要角色。皮質醇的釋放受腦部下丘腦-垂體-腎上腺軸(HPA軸)控制,這是一個調節人體反應於壓力的系統。 皮質醇對身體的影響 當我們處於壓力下時,皮質...
為什麼我們在緊張時總是忍不住吃零食?科學解密壓力性飲食行為

為什麼我們在緊張時總是忍不住吃零食?科學解密壓力性飲食行為

當人們感到緊張或壓力時,經常會無意識地吃零食,這種行為主要涉及大腦的多巴胺系統、情緒反應以及身體的生理需求。以下是背後的幾個主要原因: 壓力荷爾蒙的影響:壓力會觸發皮質醇的釋放,這種壓力激素會引發人們對高糖和高脂肪食物的渴望。這些食物能帶來短暫的愉悅感,因為它們能刺激大腦分泌多巴胺,讓人感...
光學治療濕疹 - 全面總結

光學治療濕疹 - 全面總結

簡介 光療使用光波來治療某些皮膚問題。皮膚會暴露於紫外線 (UV) 光下一段設定的時間。光療利用人造的紫外線光源,紫外線也來自陽光。當與一種叫做甲氧補骨脂素的藥物一起使用時,這個程序稱為 PUVA 光療。 紫外線光能夠抑制皮膚中的免疫系統細胞,對於因免疫系統過度反應引起的皮膚問題有幫助。可以使...
什麼是「操縱者」?

什麼是「操縱者」?

操縱者,也可以說成「擅用手段的人」,「心機重的人」。操縱者利用欺騙、影響或者其他形式的心理操控來控制或影響他人,以達到自己的目標。他們的行為通常包含使用隱蔽、間接或偷偷摸摸的手法來獲得他們想要的東西,往往是以犧牲他人為代價。以下是一些常見的特徵和手段: 欺騙: 他們可能會說謊或扭曲事實來誤...
什麼是肌肉抽搐?你需要去看醫生嗎?

什麼是肌肉抽搐?你需要去看醫生嗎?

肌肉抽搐,也稱為肌束顫動,是指身體各部分出現不自主的肌肉收縮。以下是肌肉抽搐的原因、症狀及管理方法的詳細介紹: 肌肉抽搐的原因 壓力和焦慮 高水平的壓力和焦慮會導致肌肉緊張和抽搐。身體對壓力的反應會觸發神經系統,導致肌肉不自主地收縮。 疲勞 過度使用或劇烈運動後的肌肉疲勞會導致肌...