Painful Symptoms Of Depression

While most people think that depression is simply a disorder of the mind alone, medical science has explained now that depression affects the body as well. While certain people experience unexplained physical symptoms, others experience a heightened sensitivity to pain. Depression causes a chemical imbalance in the brain, which in turn distorts the way the person feels pain. Most people never find out they suffer from depression because they never think that physical symptoms of pain they suffer from are in any way related to depression. This often complicates the whole situation, as people prefer to discuss their physical pain with general physicians and their emotional and psychological issues with psychiatrists. Depression and its physical symptoms have to be treated with either therapy or medicines or in some cases, both. When discussing depression with your doctor, make sure you mention any physical symptoms that you have been experiencing of late. Some of the physical symptoms manifested in case of depression are given below.

Understanding The Painful Symptoms Of Depression

Sleep disorders – Almost 80% of people suffering from depression complain of insomnia and 15% sleep excessively. Patients suffering from depression usually complain that they can’t fall asleep when they go to bed or about not being able to go back to sleep if they wake up in between.
Body fatigue – Most patients suffering from depression also complain of fatigue. At times, they find themselves lacking in energy to even get out of bed in the morning. They feel that even though they got enough sleep, their body still lacks energy.
Chest pain – Experts in the field of depression have come to the conclusion that there is a definite relation between depression and heart disorders, even though they haven’t been able to pin point exactly what it is that raises the risk of heart disease in patients suffering from depression. Any event of chest pain should be immediately checked out by an expert to avoid further complications.
Change in appetite – Some people tend to lose their appetite when they suffer from depression while others tend to crave for certain types of food and may even result in binge-eating leading to a rapid increase in weight. Depression also slows down the digestive process leading to indigestion or a loss of appetite.
Muscle and joint pain – People suffering from depression complain of muscle and joint pains getting worse every day. Back pain is also a common physical symptom of depression and it should be treated with therapy or medicine.

Doctors will prescribe medicines in cases of chronic depression. Depression is also known to accelerate changes in bone mass, which might lead to osteoporosis. Anti-anxiety pills have to be prescribed for people who suffer from insomnia to help them relax and be able to sleep. Sometimes doctors prescribe painkillers for people suffering from chronic pain caused by depression. Depression is a syndrome, which can be treated by a combination of therapy and medicine.

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