Depression Makes Heart Disease And Other Medical Illnesses Worse

Depression Makes Heart Disease And Other Medical Illnesses Worse

Depression is a stress-induced illness.  Having heart disease or other medical illnesses, especially for a long period of time, is obviously a major stress in anybody’s life. 

If you have a medical condition, this will bring with it a varying amount of pain, other forms of physical distress and perhaps an inability to do the things you used to do before.  Your role in society may be changed and you may even find you are no longer able to work due to your physical illness.  All of these things tend to reduce your self- esteem and make you vulnerable to depression. 

Many physical illnesses bring with them a great deal of uncertainty about the future and a frustrating sense of being dependent on others around you for support, care and medical intervention.  Being unable to depend on our physical health is a factor, which produces an increased risk of depressive illness.

Some illnesses, which are obviously severe, such as a major stroke or severe heart disease or Alzheimer’s Disease, are highly associated with developing depressive illness as a complication.  In all illnesses but perhaps more so in severe illnesses, it is important not to decide that every symptom is simply another symptom of the physical illness, for which everything that can be done medically is already being done.  KEEP IN MIND THE VERY HIGH RATE OF DEVELOPMENT OF DEPRESSIVE ILLNESS IN MEDICAL CONDITIONS.  Perhaps complete the questionnaire on depressive illness on this site and if the answer is “yes” to more than five questions, it is possible that you or the person you care for has also developed depressive illness.

We all understand that severe stress or illness makes people unhappy.  What is not so well understood is that many people are not just unhappy but have also developed depressive illness.  Phrased differently, THE STRESS OF ILLNESS MAKES MANY PEOPLE UNHAPPY BUT MAKES MANY OTHER PEOPLE DEVELOP DEPRESSIVE ILLNESS ALSO, IN ADDITION TO THEIR ONGOING PHYSICAL ILLNESS.

DEPRESSIVE ILLNESS ALSO INCREASES THE COMPLICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH CERTAIN ILLNESSES.  For example, 25% of people who have had open heart surgery (coronary bypass grafts), have depressive illness 12 months after successful surgery has been carried out.  Patients who have depressive illness in addition to ongoing heart disease have more medical complications.  Patients who have depressive illness due to cancer or Alzheimer’s Disease have much more suffering imposed upon them than is necessary.

Remembering to diagnose and treat depressive illness in the medically ill will drastically improve the quality of life for many of these patients and make their physical illness easier to bear.

Important Disclaimer:  This site is medical information only and is not to be taken as diagnosis, advice or treatment, which can only be decided by your own doctor.