Don ’t Accept Depression Just Because You Have a Chronic Disease

Some chronic diseases, such as heart disease, COPD and diabetes have all been linked to depression. This probably doesn’t surprise you. After all, these diseases are frightening, they are difficult to manage and can cause significant suffering and eventual death. It is for this reason that the symptoms of depression are sometimes ignored. Research on COPD and depression has found that some medical providers don’t pay attention to the diagnosis of depression and only focus on the disease. They may believe that if the symptoms of the disease improve, then the depression will lift on its own. Similarly, patients sometimes neglect to tell their medical provider about their symptoms of depression, believing that they are logical and maybe even expected given their state of health. The problem with both assumptions is that they are not necessarily correct. Research has not found a cause and effect relationship between COPD and depression. In other words, just because you have COPD doesn’t mean that you will automatically develop a clinical depression. Your risk of depression may be increased, but that doesn’t mean that you must accept it. People who have COPD and clinical depression actually have higher mortality rates than those who have COPD alone. This is because depression may affect the person’s motivation to do the things that will help their medical condition. For example, they are less likely to agree to quit smoking, less likely to be proactive with pulmonary ...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Depression Happiness Healthy Living Motivation and Inspiration Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Chronic Respiratory Disease COPD Major Depressive Disorder Source Type: news