How depression affects the human body
Danish scientists carried out a global study, in the process of which they found out that people who underwent inpatient treatment in medical institutions had a higher risk of developing suicidal tendencies. The highest rate, close to 50% above the norm, was in those patients who had HIV infectious hepatitis.
The causal relationship of such a parallel is rather blurred, but researchers argue that this is not only due to the violation of a psychological state due to a serious illness. There is speculation that infections have a direct relationship with suicidal moods and can provoke inflammation in areas of the brain that cause depression . This information was confirmed earlier when studying the effect of a number of substances on the human body and the presence of side effects.
The new study involved 7 million volunteers, taking over 30 years in total to confirm the link between the number of hospital visits as a patient due to infection and death due to suicide. The only exceptions are infections that occur during pregnancy.
This information will form the basis for the subsequent study of infectious mechanisms. Researchers are hoping for a new leap forward in the treatment of complex depressive conditions. At the moment, about 10% of the suicides occurring can be called “infectious”.
Research by scientists has once again confirmed that depression is not only a mental disorder, but actively affects physical health. Earlier, other studies have confirmed its links to diseases such as migraines, arthritis, and the effect of depression in pregnant women on brain development in babies.