Mental illness has cast a long shadow on the health care system in the United States and people suffering from depression have a tough time seeking help and finding adequate treatment.
Apart from the stigma which places depression under the same umbrella as some of the more unstable mental health conditions, depression can put a great deal of strain on the physical well being of a person too.
New research is starting to recognize that depression may not just be a mental reaction but that physical responses to toxins and allergens could be partially to blame.
The science is simple: when you are sick with a cold you feel miserable. The same logic could be applied to depression. What is known among psychologists as ‘sickness behaviour’ is very much in line with the symptoms of depression: too tired and unmotivated to get up off the couch.
Part of this ‘sickness behaviour’ is actually good for us and saves us from over exerting an already worn out physique, and prevents us from spreading the infection to others.
So why do we mirror ‘sickness behaviour’ when we have no obvious physical ailments?
Well this new research is suggesting that there may indeed be a physical reaction causing depression – inflammation.
Inflammation is a kind of protective mechanism which springs into action at the first sign of physical trauma like a wound or infection.
A family of proteins called cytokines can also set off inflammation in the body thereby switching the brain into sickness mode or what often appears as depression.
Both inflammation and cytokines spike during depressive episodes and of particular note, drop off in periods of remission in people with bipolar disorder.
What is more, people with inflammatory physical diseases like rhuematoid arthritis tend to suffer from depression on average more than others. Cancer patients who use a drug called interferon alpha which increases inflammatory responses to help fight cancer cells are often found to be depressed.
This could completely revolutionize the way we treat both depression and the people suffering from it.
Some have even gone so far to say that depression should be known as an infectious – although not contagious – disease.
Based on this research it stands to reason that lifestyle choices could play an impact on treating depression. A diet rich in trans fats and sugars has been proven to heighten inflammation, therefore eating plenty of fruits and veggies rich in antioxidants could keep depression at bay.
Body fat stores large quantities of cytokines and many believe that being obese can not only decrease self confidence but increase inflammation and promote sickness behaviour leading to depression.
It really could just be a matter of breaking the cycle.
Did you know that stress can cause inflammation too? Modern life may be the very infection causing our depressed epidemic.
Changing your mood may be as simple as changing your diet. The few clinical trials done have found that adding anti-inflammatory medicine to anti-depressants not only improves symptoms but increases the number of patients who respond at all to treatment.
Evidence like this suggests that adding omega 3’s, magnesium and curcumin to your diet, which are all exceptional anti-inflammatory’s, may just mean a world of difference.
