Mental health disorders, such as depression, have long-lasting and widespread repercussions that affect everything from your mental state of mind to physical health attributes like chronic pain, cardiovascular health, and even hair loss.

Understanding the full picture of depression is important and can even help you or your loved one address the symptoms of the problem and, in turn, the problem itself. So, let’s take a closer look at some of the lesser known effects of depression that affect the physical body.

Physical Effects of Depression

When it comes to depression, and other mental health disorders for that matter, the main focus is on just that, mental health. However, there is a long list of physical symptoms and problems that can occur when someone is dealing with a mental health disorder like depression.

These physical symptoms are issues that can lead to chronic pain and further complicate the diagnosis. Some of these chronic pain symptoms associated with depression include:

• Joint pain
• Limb pain
• Back pain
• Gastrointestinal problems

All of these can be invasive issues that can exacerbate problems associated with depression. For example, this pain can make it less likely for people to do physical activities such as exercising – a known natural remedy to help with depression symptoms. If chronic pain inhibits things like exercise it will only make the situation worse.

Along with chronic pain, there are a number of other physical health issues that can be caused by depression. Some of these symptoms include:

Despite these physical health problems that can occur, there are still treatment opportunities and options available to help people who are dealing with depression. Let’s take a loot at some actionable changes that can be made to help people with depression.

What to Do About Depression

Obviously, the number one thing you can do if you are dealing with depression, especially severe depression is go seek out professional help. There are tons of local therapy programs available that can help provide you with greater context to your disorder.

If you are worried about going to see someone in person during COVID-19, there are online therapy options available as well.

Along with therapy, there are changes you can make in your day-to-day life that can improve your situation and help you to overcome aspects of your disorder. As mentioned previously, exercise is a big one. Exercise can boost stress levels and increase neurotransmitters that are associated with pleasure.

Along with exercise and physical activity, one thing that is often overlooked when it comes to overcoming depression is diet. What you put into your has profound effects on what you get out of it. Some things to focus on when it comes to your diet is avoiding high-sugar foods, ensuring you are getting adequate fruits and veggies.

One more tip that can help you with depression-related problems is sleep. Getting adequate sleep is vital to not only physical health but mental health as well.

Obviously, there are a lot of different routes you can take to get help for a depression-related problem, the most effective is a multi-pronged approach in which you tackle the issue from different angles. Whatever the case, just make sure you take the situation seriously and don’t ignore it. If the problem goes unresolved it can lead to major consequences.

About the Author

Joe Gilmore is a creator on behalf of illumiflow, an organization dedicated to helping improve self confidence.