For many people, depression starts slowly. Feeling sad or lonely or without purpose, which almost everyone experiences for short periods, lasts longer than normal. Or alcohol or drug use becomes heavier and more frequent. Sometimes fatigue or physical aches and pains linger with no obvious cause. All of these symptoms, and others as well, indicate the possibility of depression. And without getting treatment, depression and its complications can get worse.
[See: Am I Just Sad — or Actually Depressed?]
Untreated depression can lead to emotional, behavioral and health problems that affect every area of life. “On a national scale, depression leads to lost productivity, job problems and both human suffering and economic suffering,” says Carol Landau, clinical professor of psychiatry and human behavior and medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
According to the Mayo Clinic, these complications include:
— Excessive weight gain or loss
— Physical pain or illness
— Alcohol or substance abuse
— Social anxiety, panic or phobias
— Conflicts with family or personal relationships
— Problems at work or school
— Social isolation
— Suicidal feelings or attempts
— Self-destructive behaviors, such as cutting oneself
— Premature death from other medical conditions
Depression is also linked to other health conditions such as cardiovascular disease. Heart disease patients, for example, are at risk for depression, and depression has been shown to worsen heart problems.
[See: 11 Simple, Proven Ways to Optimize Your Mental Health.]
Peripartum Depression Complications
Women can experience a unique form of depression during pregnancy. Commonly known as postpartum depression, the American Psychiatric Association prefers the term peripartum depression, because it can occur during pregnancy as well as after childbirth. The APA estimates that 1 in 7 women experiences peripartum depression.
While up to 70 percent of all new mothers experience short-term “baby blues,” peripartum depression is long-lasting. It can be physically and emotionally debilitating for months or years. Left untreated, it not only impacts the mother’s health and quality of life, it has been linked to premature birth and low birth weight. Peripartum depression also interferes with the important bonding time between mother and baby and can cause sleeping and feeding problems for the baby. Long term, the APA reports, children of mothers with peripartum depression are at increased risk for impaired development of cognitive, emotional, verbal and social skills.
About 4 percent of new fathers experience depression symptoms in the year after the child’s birth as well. Younger fathers, those with a history of depression and those with financial troubles are at increased risk. Depressed fathers may experience excessive fatigue — beyond the usual new-parent sleep issues — changes in eating habits, alcohol or drug abuse and emotional difficulties that may also affect bonding with the new baby.
Children, Teens and Older Adults
In children and teens, untreated depression may contribute to poor performance or misbehavior in school, anxiety, anger issues, risky behaviors, chronic stomachaches or other health issues, eating disorders or substance abuse.
“Say that a college junior has been sad, feeling hopeless, gaining weight — this looks like depression,” Landau says. “If they then tell me they are drinking every night or taking ecstasy, now they have other things that need to be treated first. Now they can get into bigger trouble. I think [depression is behind] the opioid epidemic hitting whole new groups of people today.”
Older adults sometimes think depression is a normal part of growing older. It is not. Most older adults are generally happy and satisfied with life, even given the increasing health problems and loss of friends and loved ones that come later in life. In some cases, other medical conditions such as heart disease, stroke or cancer, or medications for these or other illnesses, may cause depressive symptoms.
Suicide
Suicide is the most devastating complication of depression. Suicide is the 10th-leading cause of death in the U.S. and the second-leading cause of death for people ages 15 to 34, the APA reports. More than 40,000 people die by suicide and 1 million people attempt suicide every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Men are nearly four times more likely than women to die by suicide.
[See: 9 Things to Do or Say When a Loved One Talks About Taking Their Life.]
Suicide has its own risk factors and warning signs, according to the APA, including:
— Talking or writing about death or suicide frequently
— Talking about feeling hopeless, helpless, worthless, trapped or being a burden
— Saying things like “It would be better if I wasn’t here” or “I want out.”
— Alcohol or drug abuse
— Social withdrawal from friends and family
— Reckless and risky behavior
— Severe mood changes
“The longer you live with those [suicidal] thoughts, the more they become entrenched,” says Alison Ross, a clinical psychologist and adjunct associate professor of psychology at the City College of New York. “These people’s lives become quite impoverished.”
Early Treatment Is Key
Getting professional treatment quickly is the key to preventing depression from worsening and leading to these serious complications. A doctor can first rule out other possible causes of depression-like symptoms, such as other illnesses or medications.
“If the cause really is depression, the longer you don’t address it, the worse those biological and psychological symptoms get,” Ross says. “Many cases of depression get worse over time, and the more intransigent it is, the harder it is to treat. You want to get in there sooner — the quicker, the better.”
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What Are the Risks of Untreated Depression? originally appeared on usnews.com
