What are the health effects of long term depression?

I've started a long long journey to self-recovery here and I just need to know what some of the long term physical effects of depression are. I know things aren't right with me mentally, but I'm starting to wonder if some of the things happening to me physically are because of my mental state.

Any info?

That's a great question. Have you talked to a doctor?

well i don't know that there would be any "long term" besides what is already occuring. Long term depression sufferers usually have random aches and pains and have less resistance to disease. Depression causes you (usually) to have interrupted sleep or less sleep in general which greatly reduces your immune system's natural defenses.

another side note would be that depression is followed alongside by a lack of the chemical seratonin. its not necessarily that this causes your depression, but it happens alongside it. seratonin helps you deal with pain. thus, a lack of it would cause you to have less defenses against pain.

not to mention the loss of concentration and energy that comes along with depression. i also read somewhere that there is now a link being studied between long term depression and a rise in stroke incidences.

i think overall, the physical symptoms would go away when the depression does. but what makes this so difficult, is that its not overnight. you almost have to force yourself to be happy to get those results, to then motivate you. because youre not going to feel the physical benefits before you stop being depressed. but how can you stop being depressed if you feel horrible from head to toe? its a catch 22 and a very hard cycle to break. i really hope you have better luck than most at this.

I can't really see a doctor at this time...probably won't be able to fully discuss this with a therapist until a couple of years.

I've been wondering if my depression is due to my low cholesterol/low testosterone levels, or if my low cholesterol/low testosterone levels are due to depression. I'm sure the hypothyroid doesn't helps things much. I'm trying to research this all on my own, since therapy isn't really an option right now.

I'm just so damn certain that having depression is taking a physical toll on my body as well as a mental toll....

i already had a stroke at the age of 33..... sorry to tell you this, but i don't know if it's related, since docs couldn't find anything within me that would have contributed to the stroke. they chalked it up to my birth control pills.....

It goes either way:

http://web4health.info/en/answers/bi...m-bod-depr.htm

http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct04/depression.html

http://www.mindpub.com/art472.htm

i have had low testosterone levels. when the endocrinologist started treating it my depressive affect began to lift. a surge in testosterone can do that for you.

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314159pi said:
i have had low testosterone levels. when the endocrinologist started treating it my depressive affect began to lift. a surge in testosterone can do that for you.

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Did you take hormone replacement therapy? Or did they increase your levels of cholesterol? Since, I'm so young, my doctor doesn't want to give me testosterone replacement therapy...

initially i took testerone gel transdermally. then after half a year i switched to a pill called dostinex that works by lowering my prolactin levels causing the body to produce more testosterone.