{"id":1058,"date":"2016-01-29T21:00:17","date_gmt":"2016-01-30T02:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=1058"},"modified":"2023-04-18T14:42:14","modified_gmt":"2023-04-18T18:42:14","slug":"depression-caused-by-physical-illness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/depression-caused-by-physical-illness\/","title":{"rendered":"The link between physical and mental health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Physical and mental health are connected\u2014your body\u2019s fitness can\u00a0affect your\u00a0emotions,\u00a0and\u00a0vice versa.\u00a0Poor physical health, including issues caused by chronic diseases, can increase your risk of developing mental illness. Poor mental health makes it more likely you\u2019ll develop a physical condition. The opposite is also true. When you\u2019re sleeping well, exercising regularly, and eating healthy, it can have major positive effects for mental wellness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Physical activity is so beneficial, that many physicians consider it a natural treatment for conditions like anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once you understand the mind-body connection, you can take steps to create a healthy lifestyle that supports your mental health practices.<\/span><\/p>\n

The connection between physical and mental health\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Physical health is a combination of eating nourishing foods, getting adequate sleep, and moving your body enough to maintain a normal weight and reduce risk for physical problems like heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. Getting active improves circulation, strengthens muscles and bones, and increases your likelihood of living a long life. It also includes ditching unhealthy habits, like smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mental health\u00a0encompasses your emotional, psychological, spiritual, and social well-being, according to\u00a0<\/span>mentalhealth.gov<\/span><\/a>. It affects how you think, feel, act, and relate to others. It encompasses your mood, behavior, and how you handle stress.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The two are strongly connected. Taking care of your body can improve your mental wellness, but when one declines, the other often does too. A holistic approach to mental health practices can help support both.<\/span><\/p>\n

When you\u2019re feeling mentally healthy, it\u2019s easier to maintain your daily routine\u2014seeing others, being active, staying productive at work, and coping with everyday stress. When you\u2019re living with a mental health condition, all of that becomes more difficult. You might not have the energy to exercise. Or, you might feel withdrawn and not up for reaching out to the connections that usually support you. Easy, quick-to-prepare foods are more appealing, even if they lack nutritional value. In short, mental health challenges disrupt the ways you normally maintain physical health. In turn, that can put you at a higher risk for physical problems like heart or respiratory disease.<\/span><\/p>\n

When you\u2019re feeling physically healthy, it\u2019s likely your daily habits support your mental health. If a chronic condition prevents you from exercising, it can impact how you feel, how you socialize, and lead to mental disorders.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>How your thoughts can affect your health<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Physical causes of depression and other mental health problems\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

A mental health issue isn\u2019t just a reaction to being ill. It\u2019s another symptom of the illness.\u00a0 For example, depression can be a result of being physically ill. It can also be a symptom of the illness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Specifically, there might be a connection between inflammatory diseases and mental health. <\/span>Inflammation<\/span><\/a>\u2014and the corresponding immune response\u2014is linked to depression, schizophrenia, and other conditions like autism spectrum disorder and bipolar. A\u00a0<\/span>study published in 2016<\/span><\/a>\u00a0found that people with inflammatory illnesses are more likely to have depression than those who have non-inflammatory diseases, such as\u00a0heart disease.\u00a0The researchers found that as the level of inflammation rose, so did the risk of depression. Autoimmune disorders, considered inflammatory diseases, cause your\u00a0immune system\u00a0to overreact, causing inflammation. Many autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, gout, and diabetes, are considered inflammatory diseases.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

People with chronic disease have an\u00a0increased risk\u00a0of developing mental health conditions. Chronic pain, constant treatment, modifying activities, and disruptions to daily quality of life because of an illness can all trigger symptoms. For example, the following shows the percentage of people with a specific disease who are <\/span>living with depression<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n