I have been an allergy sufferer for my entire life. Sometimes they got better, and other times they got worse. In recent years, they've gotten worse.
Being always sick with my allergies has made me run down and tired...a lot...which has contributed to my recent bout with depression. Anyone living with a chronic health problem that keeps them living their lives is going to feel depressed. I think that's just common sense.
But I recently read that there might be more to it than just "I feel sick all the time, therefore I hate my life." That, and, when you're sick like that, you don't get enough sleep - sleep deprivation can cause depression too...or at least make a depressive state even worse.
I wrote a blog post about this topic, if you're interested, you can read it here:
http://alwayssick.com/2010/12/10/can...se-depression/
Anyway, the gist of it is that when you're suffering from an allergy attack, the body releases proteins that stimulate the nervous system. This, in turn, causes the brain to release certain chemicals that manifest into a depressive state. How weird is that?!
So, I guess my question is - How many people here have both allergies (whether chronic or seasonal) and depression? I wonder how much of our depression can be dealt with by concentrating on tackling the allergy problem.
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Jennifer
I'm always sick. In addition to dysthymic disorder, I also have severe allergies, asthma, acid reflux, and food allergies too. I have a blog chronicling my journey to health and wellness here:
http://www.alwayssick.com
Twitter:
@isalwayssick
http://www.facebook.com/alwayssick