If you struggle with depression, you know all too well the condition doesn’t just affect you mentally. The mental distress can manifest into a number of physical symptoms as well.
People with depression commonly face fatigue, trouble sleeping, and changes in appetite. It’s also well-documented that high blood pressure and elevated stress from depression can increase the risk for cardiometabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart attack.
Does this mean the millions of adults living with depression are doomed to a future of heart and metabolic issues? Not necessarily. Adding to the complex relationship between physical and mental health is a new study presented at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Congress in Amsterdam. It found the risk for cardiometabolic diseases varies depending on your depression profile. Here’s what you need to know.
Two Depressive Profiles, Two Different Risks
For nearly seven years, researchers tracked 5,794 adults (average age about 56 years old), who had no history of diabetes and heart disease at the start of the study. The researchers had each of the participants fill out a questionnaire. This determined their depressive symptoms. They found that people with depression fell into two main camps: Those with “melancholic” symptoms, like getting up early and having a reduced appetite, and those with “atypical/energy-related” symptoms, like fatigue, and sleeping, and eating more than usual.
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During the follow-up period, around 8 percent of the study participants developed a cardiometabolic condition. A total of 296 individuals developed Type 2 diabetes and 281 were diagnosed with heart disease. Interestingly, the researchers noticed a trend: the type that they were diagnosed with depended on their depression symptoms.
People who had “melancholic” symptoms were about 1.5 times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, like a heart attack or stroke, compared to people who didn’t have symptoms of depression. Moreover, Those who fell into the “atypical/energy-related” camp were about 2.7 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who didn’t have symptoms of depression.
But the people who fell into the “melancholic” group didn’t have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. In contrast, the “atypical/energy-related” participants didn’t have an increased risk of having cardiovascular disease.
Why Do Some Depressive Symptoms Drive a Higher Risk of Certain Diseases?
It’s important to remember all of this is observational. The scientists only saw an association between specific depressive symptoms and a higher risk of heart disease or Type 2 diabetes. In other words, depressive symptoms like oversleeping don’t mean you’ll definitely develop heart disease or diabetes if you have a reduced appetite.
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Still, it’s an interesting link to notice and the bigger question now is, why?
“Our hypothesis is that these variations reflect distinct underlying biological mechanisms. This may help explain why certain types of depression are linked to specific physical illnesses like diabetes or heart disease,” says Yuri Milaneschi, PhD, lead study author and psychiatry researcher at Amsterdam UMC.
“People with atypical depression had an increased appetite,” adds Thea Gallagher, PsyD, a clinical associate professor of psychology at NYU Langone Health, who was not part of the study. “If you’re eating more and not being very active, there is an association with developing type 2 diabetes.”
On the flip side, having “melancholic” symptoms like a lower-than-usual appetite and not getting enough sleep can be tough on your heart. These symptoms raise your risk of heart disease, Gallagher says.
We also need to acknowledge that depression and cardiovascular disease runs both ways. About a quarter of people with cardiovascular disease experience depression. Additionally, many people with depression develop heart disease,” says Cheng-Han Chen, MD, interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center.
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It’s a good reminder that depression impacts more than your mind. Especially if you’re someone who feels a stigma surrounding mental illness and may forgo treatment.
“People have a lot of internal distress with medicating for depression, but it somehow feels different if they were to take medication for diabetes or cardiovascular disease,” Gallagher says. “Keep in mind that untreated depression could have a big impact on your overall health, wellness, and longevity.”
This article by Korin Miller and Jocelyn Solis-Moreira was originally published on Men’s Health US
