Introduction
Mental disorders are difficult to recognize, and people who believe that it cannot happen to them are at the risk of identifying them when it has already influenced physical health.
The negative effects of depression are frequently discussed in numerous studies and media broadcasts around the world.
The relevance of this topic cannot be overestimated since, unfortunately, the number of people suffering from this disease is increasing every year. Therefore, there is a clear need to analyze how depression affects physical health as well.
To provide a reliable study, thorough literature research will be conducted.
The main points in this discussion will include insomnia, physical activity, and issues in the digestive and cardiac systems.
Transition: Let us begin by talking about the influence of mental disorders on sleep patterns.
Body
First of all, depression is often connected with insomnia. According to Herge, La Greca, and Chan (2016), sleep problems are some of the most frequent complaints among teenagers with depressive symptoms.
They sleep too much, have trouble falling asleep or wake up during the night. It can be explained by the fact that depression is accompanied by irritation of the nervous system.
It becomes difficult for the nervous system to pass from the state of alertness to sleep.
Symptoms of insomnia cause irritability, decreased attention, high blood pressure, and further development of mental disorders.
In addition to higher nervous activity and the appearance of anxiety and obsessive thoughts, an imbalance also occurs in endocrine regulation.
For example, the amount of stress hormones in the blood significantly increases during depression (Torterolo et al., 2015).
The developing changes lead to a violation of human circadian rhythms, which ensure the normal functioning of all organs during the day and night.
In addition, this mental disorder also hurts physical activity among teenagers.
According to researchers, depression may “negatively influence patterns of activity through symptoms such as low energy levels, social isolation, or physical inactivity” (McMahon et al., 2017, p. 116).
It is often assumed that exercise can lower the symptoms; however, this phenomenon is yet to be proved.
There is a possibility that the effect of physical activity on the emotional state is primarily based on the placebo effect.
Furthermore, in addition to fatigue, headaches, dizziness, and loss of consciousness, as well as pains in muscles, chest, and back are common.
The digestive system also suffers often.
Researchers note that depression can be “linked to peptic ulcer disease and adenoma/carcinoma of the colon and stomach” (Lee et al., 2015, p. 273).
Moreover, medications that are used to treat mental disorders hurt the digestive system, causing side effects and hypersensitivity of the stomach.
The cardiac system of patients’ mental disorders is under threat as well.
The research conducted by Carney and Freedland (2017) notes that “depression is a highly prevalent risk factor for incident coronary heart disease and cardiovascular morbidity in patients” (p. 117).
The use of antidepressants, which are frequently used in the treatment of patients with chronic heart problems, has its disadvantages. Despite the presence of different drugs, there is not enough reliable data on this subject.
Moreover, antidepressants have several cardiotropic side effects, and therefore their effectiveness and safety in treatment failure cannot be considered proven.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it would appear that depression is a serious disorder that has several negative impacts on the physical health of adolescents. Teenagers that have depressive symptoms also suffer from insomnia, inability to conduct physical activities, heart, and digestive problems.
For this reason, it is vital that the earliest signs of this disorder should be recognized in adolescents to get help as soon as possible.
References
Carney, R. M., & Freedland, K. E. (2017). Depression and coronary heart disease. Nature Reviews Cardiology, 14(3), 145-155. Web.
Herge, W. M., La Greca, A. M., & Chan, S. F. (2016). Adolescent peer victimization and physical health problems. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 41(1), 15-27. Web.
Lee, S. P., Sung, I. K., Kim, J. H., Lee, S. Y., Park, H. S., & Shim, C. S. (2015). The effect of emotional stress and depression on the prevalence of digestive diseases. Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, 21(2), 273-282. Web.
McMahon, E. M., Corcoran, P., O’Regan, G., Keeley, H., Cannon, M., Carli, V., … Wasserman, D. (2017). Physical activity in European adolescents and associations with anxiety, depression and well-being. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 26(1), 111-122. Web.
Torterolo, P., Scorza, C., Lagos, P., Urbanavicius, J., Benedetto, L., Pascovich, C., … Monti, J. M. (2015). Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH): Role in REM sleep and depression. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 9, 475. Web.