Possible Physical Causes Of Depression – Connections And Diagnosis

Are you feeling depressed but unable to pinpoint why you are having so much difficulty coping with certain psychological or emotional issues when you previously were able to do so quite manageably?

Your mood could well be suppressed by a physical reason, be it a drug medication which you are currently taking, a related physical health ailment, or a certain chemical toxin which is intoxicating your body and mind.

Depression Could Be Linked To Physical Health Issues

There is much research which shows the link between mental illness and some other underlying physical illness or sickness in the body. Todd Estroff and Mark Gold, two psychiatry experts, told us that there were over one hundred physical ailments which could cause or contribute to depression as well as other mental conditions.

For these physical conditions, their contribution to the onset of depression could take place often even in their early stages, during which their symptoms and signs could be quite similar to the symptoms which are caused by depression itself. It is thus very easy for these other physical ailments to be missed altogether in the diagnosis process.

Research by Roger Kathol and Mark S. Gold et al (1984) estimated that about 33% to 50% of depression patients also concurrently suffered from a physical ailment which was either a direct cause or a big contributing factor to their depressed states. The researchers also further estimated that about half of these depression cases could be alleviated if those physical ailments were properly treated.

Worryingly, many doctors and therapists continue to miss this depression-illness link, although as the field of psychiatry becomes more “medical” in nature, awakening and a change of mindset continues to take place.

Diagnosing the Causes of Depression via Health History, Physical Examination and Laboratory Tests

Syd Baumel, in his book Dealing With Depression Naturally, tells us that every person suffering from depression should undergo a comprehensive medical checkup which entails three components: one’s health history, a physical examination, as well as some lab tests.

Medical history should include detailed questions and answers on medical history, signs and symptoms, occupation and work environment, lifestyle, as well as any other factors which might contribute to the onset of depression.

Even if the history taking does not reveal anything particularly telling, it should still be a requirement to carry on with the physical examination. Research at the University of Southern California carried out by William Summers et al found that out-of-the-ordinary physical discoveries not flagged up by the history-taking led to the diagnosis of physical ailments in almost a fifth of the studied psychiatric patients. The study further suggested that, for an exam to be sufficient, it should take a minimum of fifteen to twenty minutes to carry out.

Laboratory testing can help uncover physical issues which could escape both the history-taking exercise as well as the physical examination.

Top of the pile of useful lab tests include a blood chemistry analysis, which looks at the levels of numerous important compounds in the blood, including minerals, hormones, antibodies, etc. Other useful tests discussed by Baumel include a complete blood cell count (CBC), urinalysis, electrocardiogram (ECG), electroencephalogram (EEG), tests for hypothyroidism, tests for nutritional deficiencies, tests for toxicity levels in the body (which could include hair, blood and urine tests), and even brain scans.

Pages: 1 2