Does Stress Lead To Depressive Disorder?
What is depressive disorder?
Some people may say that they feel depressed when feeling sad. It's normal and healthy to feel sad sometimes. However, depression is more than sadness. According to the American Psychiatric Association, depression is characterized by extreme sadness, hopelessness, or apathy lasting for at least two weeks. The American Psychiatric Association also states that one in six people will experience depression at some point in their lives. The National Institute of Mental Health lists the following types of depressive disorder:
- Major depressive disorder (MDD)
- Persistent depressive disorder (PDD)
- Post-partum depressive disorder
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
- Depressive disorder with symptoms of psychosis
- Situational depression
These feelings may be so severe that those impacted struggle to maintain their commitments, maintain healthy relationships, or care for themselves. Physical and mental health may start to deteriorate as stress accumulates. In addition, an individual may stop enjoying activities they previously enjoyed.
If you feel like you might be experiencing symptoms of depression, bring it up with your healthcare provider. Maintaining a healthy relationship with your doctor may help them determine when depressive disorder crosses the line from a regular emotional response to a disorder. Many doctors perform mental health screenings during routine checkups to check for symptoms.
Chemical causes of depression
For some people, depression could be caused or aggravated by imbalances of chemicals in the brain that your body uses to communicate between different systems. This process explains why some people experience depression for seemingly no reason and why two people can go through similar life events, and only one goes through a depressive state.
Other people have symptoms of depression due to another kind of chemical problem. Your body makes chemicals with the help of the sun, so in people with seasonal affective disorder, symptoms of depression can occur because of changing seasons. If your stress and depression seem to come and go around the same time every year, consider talking to your primary care provider about seasonal affective disorder.
Because chemical imbalances are not the only cause of depression, you can also have depression without having a family history of the condition, chemical imbalances, or seasonal challenges.
Emotional causes of depression
Major life events like the death of a loved one or the loss of a job are common risk factors for depression. However, stressful events like moving to a new town, changing jobs, or starting a new school can also cause depression.
If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or urges, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text 988 to talk to someone over SMS. They are available 24/7 to offer support.
How does stress induce depressive disorder?
Daily stress
Lack of social connection
Humans are social animals and are, therefore, more likely to experience depression without social bonds with close friends and family. As a result, chronic stress that wears away at social bonds could cause depression. This correlation is part of why other mental health issues might cause depression.
Co-occurring conditions
When depression occurs alongside another mental health disorder, it may be called a co-occurring condition. Conditions with a high comorbidity with depression include anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and alcohol use disorder.
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Anxiety can contribute to depression because symptoms can make it harder for individuals to feel connected with those around them. Further, imbalances of a chemical messenger in the brain called serotonin can cause both anxiety and depression.
Substance use
Substance use disorders may disrupt social bonds as well, alongside chemical causes. The positive feelings that some people associate with alcohol result from alcohol mimicking naturally occurring feel-good chemicals in the brain. Over time, alcohol use could prevent the receptors for these chemicals from working correctly, making it increasingly challenging to feel positive with or without alcohol. People living with depression are at risk of resorting to unhealthy coping mechanisms.
Many people drink more when stressed or drink as a way of self-medicating for anxiety symptoms. In this way, stress mixed with alcohol may create a vicious cycle that could eventually lead to depression. If you think you might have a problematic relationship with alcohol, your doctor could guide you to resources to help you drink less and manage stress healthily.
How to find support for stress and depression
Many clients experiencing symptoms of stress alongside depression or anxiety may meet with a psychiatrist or a psychologist to discuss treatment. Although medication can be effective, talk therapy is one of the most recommended options for depression. Studies have also found it more effective than other methods of treatment.
You do not have to have a mental health condition or diagnosis to see a therapist. Many clients seek mental health care to learn stress reduction techniques and talk through life events. If you feel nervous about seeing a therapist, it might help you to look at a therapist or counselor how you look at your regular doctor; you don’t only go to your doctor when you aren’t healthy; you go to your doctor to stay healthy. Everyone experiences stress, but you don’t need to wait for severe impacts to seek help.
Your health insurance plan might cover seeing a counselor or therapist if you have a diagnosed mental illness or medical reason for seeking support. However, it could be expensive if your health insurance plan doesn’t cover counseling or therapy. In this case, your doctor may be able to direct you toward cost-effective resources like support groups.
If you prefer to talk with a counselor or therapist personally, you still have options. Meeting with a counselor or therapist online is often more affordable than meeting in person and may be easier to fit into a busy schedule. For those living in rural areas or where therapists have long wait lists, an online therapist may also be more convenient.
Online talk therapy, often implemented via cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), continues to show increasing effectiveness as a treatment for depressive disorders. In one literature review of 373 articles, researchers concluded that internet-based CBT effectively treated and managed various mental health concerns, including stress, depression, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, and substance use disorders.
Takeaway
Is depression a consequence of stress?
Can stress cause depression? Some research shows that stress can have a substantial causal relationship with the onset of major depression.
So, stress and depression can be connected; depression can be a consequence of stress. If the stress is short-term, the depression may resolve, but chronic stress that wears away at social connections or that appears with other mental illness conditions, like anxiety or substance use, can cause ongoing depression.
How does stress affect mental health?
Stress can affect your mental health in a few ways. In the short term, it can lead to aggression or irritability, insomnia, exhaustion, or problems with concentration. You may also feel sad or experience the sense that you’re losing control. Chronic stress can lead to burnout, depression, or anxiety.
How do you know that you are stressed?
There are physical, mental, and emotional signs of stress. Physical signs can include exhaustion, trouble sleeping, dizziness, headaches, high blood pressure, digestive problems, and a weakened immune system. Emotional and psychological symptoms can include panic attacks, anxiety, depression, sadness, and irritability.
What exactly causes depression?
There is no single cause of depression. Research suggests it results from a combination of factors, including brain chemistry, genetics, and stressful life events.
How to relieve stress?
A few strategies you can use to cope with stress include the following:
- Getting at least seven hours of sleep
- Eating a balanced diet
- Exercising regularly
- Meditating
- Staying connected to friends and family
- Practicing relaxation exercises
- Practicing mindfulness
- Laughing
- Listening to soothing music
- Using positive self-talk
- Joining support groups
- Reaching out to friends and family members
- Getting professional help
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, you can also try journaling, avoiding excess caffeine, identifying and challenging your negative thoughts, and learning what triggers your stress.
When is stress too much?
Everyone experiences stress occasionally, but one way to tell when you’re dealing with too much psychological stress is if you start feeling overwhelmed, experience negative emotions, and cannot handle the situation. According to the American Psychiatric Association, stress can become unhealthy if it starts to upset day-to-day functioning and can affect nearly every system in the body.
If you start to lose interest in your hobbies, find it challenging to participate in normal activities, or engage in social isolation for long periods, consider talking to a therapist to find support and learn how to manage your symptoms.
Who suffers from stress the most?
According to the 2020 Stress in America Survey, Gen Z experienced more stress than millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers. Other groups reported to have significant stress in this survey include parents worried about their children’s education and future, low-income households, and people of color.
What are five emotional signs of stress?
There are many emotional signs of stress, including anxiety, depression, sadness, irritability, and panic attacks.
Can stress make you feel sick?
Yes, stress can cause physical symptoms that can be mistaken for illness, including trouble sleeping, exhaustion, high blood pressure, dizziness, digestive problems, headaches, and dizziness.
What are the three stages of stress?
The three stages of stress are the alarm reaction stage, resistance stage, and exhaustion stage. The alarm reaction stage is when the body’s “fight or flight” stress response kicks in, increasing the heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate, among other things. The body also tries to recover during this stage by lowering cortisol levels and normalizing blood pressure and heart rate. If the stress continues, though, the body will remain on high alert and begin to adapt to the higher levels of stress.
Next is the resistance stage, in which the person experiences irritability, poor concentration, and frustration. If the stress continues, it leads to the exhaustion stage, which is when someone experiences burnout, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and a weakened immune system.
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