What would happen if depression is not treated?

Untreated clinical depression is a serious problem. Untreated depression increases the chance of risky behaviors such as drug or alcohol addiction. It also can ruin relationships, cause problems at work, and make it difficult to overcome serious illnesses.

What will happen if you don't treat depression?

People who are depressed are far more likely to have other chronic medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease, back problems, arthritis, diabetes, and high blood pressure, and to have worse outcomes. Untreated depression can even affect your immune response to some vaccines.

How does untreated depression affect the brain?

Depression may cause the release of glucocorticoid in the brain, a type of steroid that can damage the hippocampus and other areas of the central nervous system. When this occurs, you may experience symptoms associated with neurocognitive disorder (dementia), such as memory loss.

What are 5 consequences of depression?

Some of the physical effects include erratic sleep habits, loss of appetite (or increased appetite with atypical depression), constant fatigue, muscle aches, headaches, and back pain. It's easy to dismiss these symptoms as stemming from another condition, but they are often because of depression.

What would be the consequences if the person is suffering from depression?

Serious (Additional) Health Issues

Additionally, depression can raise your risk for other chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, stroke, and more. The link isn't entirely understood.

What happens if people don't receive treatment for depression?

How does depression damage the brain?

According to an fMRI study, decreased brain activity in the hippocampus was reported⁸² in depressive patients. Reduced gray matter volume and reduced functional activity in the hippocampus would lead to negative emotion and the inability of cognitive processing in depressive patients.

What is the most serious complication of major depression?

What is the most serious form of depression?

Clinical depression is the more-severe form of depression, also known as major depression or major depressive disorder. It isn't the same as depression caused by a loss, such as the death of a loved one, or a medical condition, such as a thyroid disorder.

Why is depression a serious thing?

It can impact your mental and physical health. Depression can not only interfere with your life in terms of work and school, but also family and other relationships. Depression leaves a gaping hole where your presence in your life should be, and at it's most dangerous it puts you at significant risk for suicide.

What is major depressive disorder like?

Depression is a serious mood disorder that affects your whole body including your mood and thoughts. It's caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Some types of depression seem to run in families. Depression causes ongoing, extreme feelings of sadness, helplessness, hopeless, and irritability.

Is my brain permanently damaged from depression?

A depression not only makes a person feel sad and dejected – it can also damage the brain permanently, so the person has difficulties remembering and concentrating once the disease is over. Up to 20 percent of depression patients never make a full recovery.

Does the brain heal after depression?

Dendrites are cellular extensions found in the neurons, or nerve cells. This suggests that depression is not an irreversible neurodegenerative disorder. Instead, its impact on the brain may be reversible, and the brain can heal.

Can depression cause sudden death?

Existing research has already linked depression to a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease and sudden cardiac death, especially in women .

Can you just live with depression?

Tips for Living Well with Major Depressive Disorder

But those struggling with this illness are not alone. It's one of the most common and most treatable mental health disorders. With early, continuous treatment, people can gain control of their symptoms, feel better, and get back to enjoying their lives.

What happens if you don't treat mental illness?

Without treatment, the consequences of mental illness for the individual and society are staggering. Untreated mental health conditions can result in unnecessary disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, inappropriate incarceration, and suicide, and poor quality of life.

Is it possible to survive depression?

People who take their medications regularly and make some lifestyle changes can live long and healthy lives. These medications and lifestyle changes are treatments for diabetes. Depression is the same way. There's no cure for depression, but there are lots of effective treatments.

What are the three most serious symptoms of depression?

feeling hopeless and helpless. having low self-esteem. feeling tearful. feeling guilt-ridden.

When should you walk away from someone with mental illness?

When Is It Time to Walk Away? In some cases, the decision to leave is obvious. If physical abuse is present to any degree, and especially if the individual fears for their own life or well-being or that of their children, it's important to leave as soon as possible. Safety is the number one priority.

Is having depression a big deal?

Depression is more than just a low mood – it's a serious condition that has an impact on both physical and mental health.

What is the average lifespan of someone with major depressive disorder?

The Impact of Major Depression on Overall Health

This difference in overall health, on average, translates to a reduction in future healthy life expectancy of 9.5 years for women and 9.7 years for men.

What is considered major depression?

The classic depression type, major depression is a state where a dark mood is all-consuming and one loses interest in activities, even ones that are usually pleasurable. Symptoms of this type of depression include trouble sleeping, changes in appetite or weight, loss of energy, and feeling worthless.

Is depression a chemical imbalance?

Research suggests that depression doesn't spring from simply having too much or too little of certain brain chemicals. Rather, there are many possible causes of depression, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, and stressful life events.

Who is most likely to suffer from major depression?

Major depression is most likely to affect people between the ages of 45 and 65. “People in middle age are at the top of the bell curve for depression, but the people at each end of the curve, the very young and very old, may be at higher risk for severe depression,” says Walch.

What are the 4 causes of depression?

Smoking, obesity, eating an unhealthy diet, and a lack of physical activity are all behaviors that cause depression, according to results of one UCLA study. The risk of depression due to these risk factors varies with age. Who is at highest risk for depression?

What are five characteristics of a major depressive episode?

A major depressive episode is a period of two weeks or longer in which a person experiences certain symptoms of major depression: feelings of sadness and hopelessness, fatigue, weight gain or weight loss, changes in sleeping habits, loss of interest in activities, or thoughts of suicide.