Depression and its effect on chronic disease and mortality has increased to the point that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that by 2020 it will be second only to heart disease in its contribution to all diseases. The effects of depression on the elderly and its inter-relationship with chronic diseases are some of the contributors to mortality when depression is part of a person’s life.
Elderly Mortality
There is a definite link between depression and geriatric mortality. A study on the link between depression and mortality concluded that twice as many Americans over the age of 65 are likely to die if they are depressed, according to a 2002 report in the "American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry." Mortality was increased due to depression regardless of any other factors, according to the report. It stated that severe depression is just as dangerous to the elderly as the effects of cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and emphysema.
Chronic Diseases
Chronic diseases are worsened by depression. Conditions such as asthma, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity were made worse by depression and tended to occur more frequently in those who were depressed, according to a 2005 study cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC. The study showed that depression helped cause other diseases, affected the course of the diseases negatively and altered the final outcomes of the diseases, including earlier mortality rates.
Disease Frequency
Not only does depression tend to worsen diseases, diseases tend to occur more frequently in those who are depressed. The CDC states that this inter-relatedness between diseases and depression needs more study, and notes that about half of all those with asthma suffer from depression, that depression is the most often cited complaint accompanying arthritis, and that it appears often in cardiovascular disease patients as a contributing factor, along with smoking and lack of physical exercise. Half of cancer patients and diabetic patients also complain of depression.
References
- Psychosomatic Medicine: Mortality and Quality of Life 12 Months After Myocardial Infarction: Effects of Depression and Anxiety
- "American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry": Depressive Symptoms and Mortality
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: The Vital Link Between Chronic Disease and Depressive Disorders
