Types Of Depression

There are several types of depressive disorders.
Major depression involves severe symptoms that interfere with the ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy life. An episode can occur only once in a person’s lifetime, but more often, a person has several episodes.
Persistent depressive disorder is a depressed mood that lasts for at least 2 years. A person diagnosed with persistent depressive disorder may have episodes of major depression along with periods of less severe symptoms, but symptoms must last for 2 years to be considered persistent depressive disorder.
Other forms of depression include psychotic depression, postpartum depression, and seasonal affective disorder.

We see the bearing that mental health has on our physical health manifest in many ways stress for example, can cause issues with our digestion our weight and even our skin. Anxiety can cause muscle tension and weaken our immune system. And depression—well, it can have serious physiological effects, too. So much of an impact that, according to new research, it could increase your risk of heart disease.

According to findings from an observational study done by the American Heart Association, depression may increase a person’s risk of having heart disease or stroke. There’s a wealth of research out there that links certain health factors and markers with this increased risk, but those tend to be physical (think high cholesterol or high blood pressure). This study underscores the connection between mental health and disease risk—a connection we as a society should be taking more seriously instead of continuing to stigmatize mental illness.

“Cardiovascular diseases are impacted by and related to a variety of aspects of health and well-being including mental health. It was found that the level of depression was strongly tied to living with heart disease and stroke, even after accounting for other factors that could impact risk, including variables of age, income, education, sex and race/ethnicity.
Researchers utilized depression questionnaires obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys to examine depression and nonfatal heart disease such as heart attack, stroke, coronary heart disease, angina, or heart failure in adults ages 20 and up. Of the 11,000 adults they identified as having depression in the surveys, 1,200 of them had been diagnosed with heart disease.
While 10% may not seem like much, when applied to our population as a whole, it means that, in theory, 20 million U.S. adults living with depression have a higher risk of being diagnosed with heart disease. That’s more than the populations of the largest U.S. cities—New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Phoenix—combined.
Startling statistics aside, you may be wondering: How does one quantify depression? And what level of depression do you have to have for your risk of heart disease to increase? This research revealed that with every additional level increase of depression—mild, moderate, moderately severe, or severe—the chances of someone developing heart disease increased by 24%.
“The implications of such an increase are vast. “By understanding the relationship and degree of impact, we can properly identify, prevent, treat, and create policies and strategies to help decrease cardiovascular diseases and improve lives by tackling mental health and heart disease together.”
To be clear: We didn’t need more evidence that mental health matters, but seeing how major of an impact it can have on our physical being as well as our psyche is alarming, to say the least. Bottom line? Take care of your mental health, friends.

Chest pain, or angina, is a common symptom of heart disease, caused by a lack of blood flow to the heart. Despite the heart’s role in angina, new research from the American Heart Association found stress may also contribute—plus, the specific brain activity that may predict its onset.
The study, published in the Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging journal, took brain scans of 148 adults with coronary artery disease. Those who were under mental stress showed increased activity in the inferior frontal lobe of the brain and also experienced more severe chest pain.

The link between mental health and chest pain.
Previous research suggested a link between stress and angina, without a clear indication of how or why. To better understand the association, participants underwent mental stress testing, brain imaging scans, and heart imaging scans—all while being monitored for chest pain.
The brain scans specifically measured activity in the inferior frontal lobe, which is responsible for emotional regulation and stress. Participants answered questionnaires about their chest pain and cardiovascular activity for the baseline data, then again two years later for a follow-up.
After analyzing the results, researchers found people with more severe chest pain also experienced greater activity in the inferior frontal lobe while stressed. These findings were consistent in the two-year follow up.
“We were surprised by the strength of the relationship between the level of activity in this brain region and the frequency of chest pain reported, as well as the lack of a relationship to factors that are normally considered important when treating angina, such as heart imaging.

So, how can this help patients with heart pain?
The study proves stress is an important factor in chest pain and should be considered during treatment planning.
“The top three factors that explained angina frequency were all stress related, including brain activation depressive symptoms and PTSD symptoms,” Shah says. “This is surprising because when we manage angina in clinical settings, we normally do not consider stress as an underlying factor, and rather focus on blood flow in the heart.”
Despite the strong correlation between brain activity and chest pain, researchers say it’s not a clear cause-effect relationship. Regardless managing stress is never a bad idea.

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