Depression, acting chronically as a stressful month, can cause psychophysical health disorders and pathogenic disease complications.
1. Sleep disorders in depression
Sleep disorders are associated with regulatory disorders of the hypothalamus and reticular system in depressions. This causes pronounced disturbances in biological rhythms, including dysregulation of sleep and waking rhythms. Typically, in depressions, we deal with a shortness of sleep, a reduction in the overall sleep time and "sleep fragmentation". Patients wake up many times during the night, and in addition they wake up very early in the morning. Sometimes it can be one or two o'clock after midnight. This type of sleep disorder usually involves anxiety and even agitation. Another type of sleep disorder occurring in depression is increased sleepiness, sleeping many hours at night and additional daytime sleepiness. This usually involves apathy and inhibition of the patient. The disturbed sleep rhythm correlates clearly with another circadian disorder of the patient's mood rhythm. Depression is strongest in the morning, after waking up, and its severity subsides in the evening.
Sleep disorders in the manic syndrome in which sometimes depression
In the manic syndrome which is in a way the opposite of depression, and sometimes the phase in which some depressions go through, there is also a significant disruption of biological rhythms and disturbances in the rhythm of sleep and wakefulness. This usually takes the form of a significant reduction in the amount of night sleep and early waking of the patient. The psychopathological symptoms of the manic syndrome, as well as in depression, are also subject to daily fluctuations - they intensify in the evening and in the mornings. Patients seem to have an immense supply of energy, as if they did not need night regeneration. During the mania, a small woman - "chucherko" - can clean the entire apartment, paint it, wash it, and in the morning with uninvited energy go to work. Usually, after a period of "excessive energy discharge" in the manic phase, their next deficit may be related to another depression.
2. List of health disorders caused by depression
The recognition of depression should take into account the factor of physical and disease changes taking place in the patient's body. During the visit to the doctor and a detailed medical history, there will be undoubtedly a lot of them. Some of them will also be found by the physician on the basis of a direct examination of the patient's state of health. Here is a list of the most common changes or health disorders occurring during the course of depression: weight loss, may reach up to 5% monthly or less frequently occurring weight gain headaches, sometimes the feeling of the rim on the skull physical pain of the body aggravated by the stress factor the feeling of palpitations with impaired rhythm, increased breathing, breathlessness and breathlessness nausea or diarrhea drying in the mouth frequent urination difficulties in sexual intercourse
3. Physical pain as a complication of depression:
An exemplary relationship of the patient: I have had, for a long time, smaller or larger, back problems. For this reason, I was directed to rehabilitation in the rheumatology ward. In the meantime, I planned a long-distance trip abroad. However, in the spring of this year, i.e. when the travel formalities were finalized, I suddenly realized that I could not stand the hardships of the journey. This time, my nervous thoughts were joined by the reflection phenomenon, so as usual in such cases I went to the gastrologist. Unfortunately, the prescribed drugs did not help me, and even I had the feeling that they hurt me. My spine hurt more than usual.Pain in the muscles of the arms and legs joined, which intensified even after a small effort. I was afraid that these are side effects of drugs from the gastrologist. However, he said that "all this helps, so you must get used to these drugs, because there are no others." I changed the doctor, but all the time I felt nervous and began to feel an unpleasant symptom of squeezing my throat and some obstacle in the esophagus. Studies have shown that everything is fine, but I felt very bad. The family was already of the opinion that my symptoms may have a nerve root. The more so because I periodically felt fears for no reason and a general reduction in mood. I quickly accepted the opinion of my family and that's why I immediately looked for a psychiatrist's help.
A message from the author for the reader
Depression is an emotional state characterized by sadness, less activity and the inability to enjoy life. It is one of the most common psychological problems. Depression, acting chronically as a stressful month, may cause health disorders and pathogenic disease complications. The whole of the study presented on our website presents typical symptoms of depression as well as its various variants. In the following chapters, we describe the principles of treatment as well as the rules of dealing with a person suffering from depression. The characteristics of depression are enriched by authentic statements of patients, descriptions of their ailments and difficulties in overcoming the disease. The author has been conducting extensive private practice for years, in which depressive patients make up the majority of applicants.
Dr. Janusz Krzyżowski, MD, psychiatrist
