Problems of COPD: depression, respiratory disorders

The presence of patients with manifestations of COPD does not add optimism. According to doctors, the symptoms of this disease are incurable, with time, respiratory disorders will progress, especially if you do not heal and do not radically change your whole lifestyle. Constant exercises to improve pulmonary ventilation can be tiring, changes in life and medication, unpleasant symptoms and attacks of breathlessness can provoke depression. What advice can a doctor give in this situation, to which questions of patients does he most often give answers?

Breathing problems: alarms

The human brain is designed to protect its own body and keep it alive. Deep in the human brain is a department that constantly tests its own   blood to make sure that the body receives enough oxygen, and the lungs breathe clean, healthy air. If he detects problems with breathing and gas concentration, he sends an alarm. It is perceived by the human body as a sudden attack of anxiety, unexplained anxiety, or panic. This feeling encourages a person to get up and leave the place where his breathing is disturbed.

With COPD, the patient often has breathing problems, and anxiety with asthma attacks can become common symptoms. As a result, a person may feel irritation or anxiety for a long time, or experience a panic attack when he is in a hurry, has run, or has felt a strong or strong smell. There may be more frequent   breathing, shortness of breath, asphyxiation and indisposition.

It is important to understand that this condition is common in people with COPD, it is not associated with emotional or mental disorders – it is the body’s response to hypoxia. With the help of a doctor, you can do a number of things that help reduce anxiety and choking.

Dealing with anxiety in sickness

Panic and anxiety, anxiety are common problems for people with obstructive pulmonary disease. This may be caused by attempts by the brain to eliminate hypoxia or the result of all changes caused by a painful condition. Below is a list of some of the problems that a patient may encounter with the disease:

  • The patient notes sleep problems because he is constantly worried.
  • He can sit quietly and suddenly begin to choke.
  • A person almost always worries about when he has a new episode of difficulty breathing.
  • It seems to him that if he leaves the house, he will become worse.
  • He is afraid of falling into elevators, on airplanes or on bridges, trying not to go to crowded places.
  • The patient avoids communication, constantly feels uncomfortable, is in anticipation of trouble.

This is also true for people who feel depressed due to their illness. They dream of “rest” from COPD. Sometimes this leads to alcohol abuse, complete isolation from people, which threatens to kill the patient more quickly.

Doctor’s advice for anxiety

It is unrealistic to hope that the patient will be able to completely get rid of anxiety. But the doctor may advise working in the direction of the “ideal level of anxiety.” In this ideal state, the patient accepts that he has a chronic and severe illness, but at the same time, the doctor will recommend certain techniques that can be used to alleviate the symptoms and improve the general condition.

In the long run, a person is likely to go through periods when he experiences too much, but at other times it is worthwhile to take more care of his condition. These vibrations are completely normal. The goal should be to find the “right” number of experiences that will help the patient save his life and control the manifestations of the disease.

Depression in COPD: the danger?

COPD can make a person feel tired all the time or makes it difficult to sleep. This can lead to fatigue, loss of appetite, and some medicines can change the taste of food or form side effects. The patient may be tied to an oxygen cylinder or suffer from a chronic cough, he is increasingly reluctant to communicate with others. Perhaps the patient was active all his life and now can not do what he once liked. All of these problems can put a person with COPD at risk of developing depression.

Of course, the development of COPD introduces significant limitations in the usual life, and much in life will have to be abandoned. Because of this is quite possible   depression, especially when feeling unwell. It is understandable that the patient may experience anger, sadness, and a sense of loss. These are quite natural reactions in the majority of chronically ill patients. But if the feelings are all-pervasive and do not allow a person to fully take care of himself, he needs to talk to his doctor: most likely the depression is already quite difficult. This condition is very common and is treatable through psychotherapy or drug treatment.

Signs of Depression in Patients with COPD

For patients with COPD, a number of symptoms are highlighted, indicating a possible depression. If the patient responds positively to five or more points, you should consult a doctor about depression. So, it is possible:

  • The feeling of sadness is more than 4-5 days a week for several weeks in a row;
  • Restless sleep, insomnia, or sleep that is disturbed by early wakefulness or difficulty falling asleep;
  • Excessive sleep, with difficult waking in the morning;
  • Decreased interest in your loved ones or activities;
  • Reducing energy, activity and motivation for any action;
  • Difficulties with concentration of attention and solving everyday problems;
  • Altered appetite, sharply increased or pathologically reduced;
  • Low self-esteem;
  • Feeling hopeless that a person will never feel better, no matter what happens;
  • Attacks of crying, occurring more often than usual;
  • A feeling of irritation regarding all aspects of life;
  • Excessive guilt;
  • Suicidal thoughts or a desire for life to end;
  • Inability to laugh or enjoy life.

At one time or another, most people with COPD think about various issues that are difficult to discuss with anyone, including doctors and family members. This concerns the terminal stages of the disease and the need to stay in a hospital or hospice, as well as the issue of life expectancy.

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