Depression Causes Excessive Body Inflammation

A recent study conducted by researchers at the Emory University School of Medicine found that psychological stress leads to an excessive inflammatory response in people. Their findings published in today's issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry showed that individuals who suffer from depression are more likely develop an inflammatory response due to the emotional disorder than people who are not depressed.

"Several examples of increased resting inflammation in depressed patients already exist in the literature, but this is the first time anyone has shown evidence to suggest that the inflammatory response to stress may be greater in depressed people," said lead researcher of the study, Andrew Miller, MD.

However, this is not the only study to provide evidence that emotional and affective disorders in people extend to their biological health, causing a wide range of body organs and systems to fail working properly. Many previous studies have also linked psychological disorders to poor biological health.

Another study has recently reported that angry men are more likely to have poor lung function and develop pulmonary disorders than their happier and calmer counterparts. The study was conducted by researchers at the Harvard Medical School.

"While inflammation is essential for us to fight bacterial and viral infections, too much inflammation can cause harm. There's always some collateral damage when the immune system gets fired up, and we now believe that too much inflammation, either at rest or during stress, may predispose people to become depressed or stay depressed," stated Dr. Miller from the Emory School of Medicine.

Taking into account the fact that more and more studies come to confirm and back up the idea that people who experience psychological imbalance also manifest biological disorders, Harvard scientists advised doctors to be more careful about their patients' emotional health. "Healthcare providers should be aware that your emotional state can play a role in lung health over time. It could change the way we think about screening for risk factors and could inform different types of interventions - such as cognitive behavioral therapy," they pointed out.