Depression vomiting (and other physical symptoms)

In this guide, we will discuss the different physical sickness that can be seen in a person who has depression, while highlighting the relation between depression and vomiting. 

Physical sickness caused due to depression

Different physical sickness that is caused due to depression:

• Vomiting and nausea
• Diarrhea or irregular bowel schedules 
• Upset stomach or uneasiness in the abdomen
• Poor sleep
• Impaired immunity
• Increased blood pressure and heart rate
• Weight loss or weight gain
• Headaches
• Aching muscle and joint pain
• Decreased pain tolerance
• Fatigue and lowered energy levels
• Eye problems or decreases in vision

Depression and Vomiting  and nausea

Fifty-nine patients who were admitted with a psychogenic vomiting diagnosis were divided into the following vomiting patterns: persistent, habitual postprandial, intermittent vomiting, nausea, as well as self-induced vomiting. Either a severe depression or a conversion disorder was a psychological disorder linked to the onset of vomiting. Continuous vomiting was typically attributed to a conversion disorder, while major depression was found in many cases of habitual postprandial and irregular vomiting. During the clinical course, the mental conditions and vomiting habits of the patients also shifted. In the diagnosis and treatment of psychogenic vomiting, identifying psychological symptoms and vomiting patterns is significant, as seen in the research.

All in all, 48 percent of the 62,000 individuals in Norway who undertook surveys reported that during a one-year cycle they had suffered from one or more gastrointestinal problems, including nausea, heartburn, diarrhea, and constipation. During the year, almost 13 per cent reported nausea.

“The prevalence of anxiety and depression was significantly higher for subjects with nausea in our study population, compared to subjects without these complaints,” Haug says.

41 percent of those who had significant reports of nausea were found to have an anxiety disorder based on a medical scale that measured their symptoms, while 24 percent appeared clinically depressed.

Depression and Diarrhea or irregular bowel schedules 

Digestive symptoms may be humiliating and painful, such as constipation and diarrhea. It’s easy to believe that gut pain stems from a physical disease, often triggered by food poisoning or gastrointestinal viruses. Yet our digestive tracts can be interrupted by feelings like depression, anxiety, and overwhelm. One research in 2011 indicates a link between anxiety, depression, and gastrointestinal pain.

Depression and Upset stomach or uneasiness in the abdomen

One of the most recognizable symptoms of depression is that sinking feeling in your stomach. However it’s easy to write it off as gas or menstrual pain when your abdomen begins to cramp.

A sign of depression may be pain that worsens, particularly when stress occurs. Researchers from Harvard Medical School say that stomach pain such as cramps, bloating, and nausea could be a sign of bad mental health.

Depression can cause (or be a result of an inflamed digestive system, according to Harvard researchers, discomfort that is easily mistaken for diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome.

The gut is often referred to by doctors and scientists as the “second brain,” because they have found a correlation between gut health and mental well-being. Our stomachs seem to be full of good bacteria and anxiety and depression symptoms can arise if there is an imbalance of good bacteria.

Depression and Poor sleep

Depression can cause poor sleep patterns in an individual making the individual either extremely sleepy and tired all the day or cause insomnia where the individual does not sleep all day or hardly for 3-4 hours. The individual feels tired because of depression all day.

Depression and Impaired immunity

Depression has been noted to have an adverse effect on the immunity system of the body that is by impairing it. It is seen that the immunity levels of individuals with depression were significantly lower than those individuals who did not have depression. 

Depression and Increased blood pressure and heart rate

Depression can lead to an increase in the blood pressure and heart rate of an individual. During depression tension about the future and the bleak hope of a positive one can really make an individual anxious. It is the pessimistic view of the world because of depression that causes pressure on the heart.

Depression and Weight loss or weight gain

During depression a person is seen to consume more food or totally lose their appetite. The person can be seen not eating a lot or hardly eating as they no longer have the will to eat. Or to comfort themselves they eat a lot and gain weight. 

Depression and Headaches

Nearly all people suffer periodic headaches. They are so widespread that we sometimes write them off as nothing significant. Stressful job conditions may also cause these headaches, such as a dispute with a co-worker.

Your headache may not always be triggered by stress. It may be a sign of depression if you experience a turn to daily headaches. Depression-related headaches do not inherently affect one’s performance, unlike excruciating migraine headaches. Described as “tension headaches” by the National Headache Foundation, this form of head pain can feel like a mild throbbing sensation, especially around the eyebrows.

Although over-the-counter pain medicine helps with these headaches, they usually recur frequently. Chronic stress headaches can also be a sign of a major depressive disorder.

Depression and Aching muscle and joint pain

You may feel good in the morning, but your back starts to hurt while you’re at work or sitting at a school desk. This might be stress, or it might be depression. Backaches may also be a sign of psychological distress, although they are mostly associated with poor posture or wounds.

A 2017 research study of 1,013 university students from Canada found a strong correlation between depression and backaches.

Psychologists and psychologists have long known that emotional disorders can cause chronic aches and pains, but the details, such as the relation between depression and the inflammatory response of the body, are still being studied.

Depression and Decreased pain tolerance

Sometimes, depression and pain co-exist. One research in 2015 found a correlation between depressed individuals and reduced pain tolerance, while another study in 2010 showed that pain has a greater effect on depressed individuals.

There is no direct cause-and-effect relationship between these two symptoms, but evaluating them together is crucial particularly if your doctor suggests medication. Some evidence indicates that the use of antidepressants may not only help alleviate depression, but may also serve as a pain-fighting analgesic.

Depression and Fatigue and lowered energy levels

A common symptom of depression is fatigue. Although we sometimes assume exhaustion stems from stress, fatigue can also be caused by depression. However, depression-related fatigue can also cause attention issues, feelings of irritability, and apathy, unlike everyday fatigue.

Dr. Maurizio Fava, Director of the Clinical Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, points out that depressed people frequently experience non-restorative sleep, which means that even after having a full night of rest, they feel sluggish.

Depression and Eye problems or decreases in vision

Although depression can make the world look gray and gloomy, a 2010 research study in Germany indicates that one’s eyesight could actually be impaired by this mental health issue.

Depressed people had difficulty seeing variations in black and white in the survey of 80 individuals. Described as’ contrast perception’ by psychologists, this may explain why depression can make the world look hazy.

Treating physical sickness caused due to depression

More than one form of treatment may be needed to find relief from the physical symptoms of depression. Although some of the physical symptoms can also be alleviated by some antidepressants, such as discomfort, other symptoms may need to be handled separately.

• Antidepressants
• Behavioral therapy
• Reducing stress levels
• Regular exercise
• Natural home remedies

Antidepressants

Antidepressants are depression medications. Through fixing neurotransmitter imbalances in the brain that are responsible for your mood, antidepressants are believed to help.

Physical symptoms caused by shared chemical signals in the brain can support them. Many antidepressants can also help alleviate discomfort and headaches, sleeplessness, and poor appetite.

Behavioral therapy

In the treatment of mood problems and pain, cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy and other forms of behavioral therapy have been shown to improve. Cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic insomnia is also an efficient treatment.

Reducing stress levels

Stress reduction strategies and assistance with the physical and mental symptoms of depression include massage, yoga, and meditation.

Regular exercise

With a proper regular routine of exercising you can help your body alleviate a lot of symptoms of depression.  

Natural home remedies

With natural remedies, such as natural sleep aids and natural pain relievers, you can also be able to find relief from your symptoms. It has also been discovered that omega-3 fatty acids have several benefits that may help with depression and associated symptoms and conditions.

In this guide, we discussed the different physical sickness that can be seen in a person who has depression, while highlighting the relation between depression and vomiting. 

FAQs: Depression, vomiting, and other physical symptoms

References

https://www.healthline.com/health/can-depression-make-you-sick

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/physical-symptoms-of-depression

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1378567/pdf/gut00599-0048.pdf