Can a person be depressed for 3 years without treating it?

Question

and can depression cause physical problems?

Answer 1

Yes to both questions. kjl

Answer 2

I believe you can. You can get numb to it. I sometimes feel that i have never been happy in my whole life. The hard part is actually feeling happy once youve been depressed that long.

Answer 3

i was clincally depressed for over 10 years before i was able to get help (when i turned 18) so i would say it is possible, and yes, tons of physical problems

Answer 4

Sorry but this article is long.

Physical symptoms are common in major depression and may lead to chronic pain and complicate treatment. Symptoms associated with depression include joint pain, limb pain, back pain, gastrointestinal problems, fatigue, psychomotor activity changes, and appetite changes. In the primary care setting, a high percentage of patients with depression present exclusively with physical symptoms. Simon et al.1 analyzed a World Health Organization study of somatic symptoms in the presentation of depression. Of the 1146 patients in 14 countries included in the survey who met the criteria for depression, 69% reported only somatic symptoms as the reason for their visit. Unfortunately, depression can often go undiagnosed in these patients, as the physical symptoms associated with depression may be interpreted as symptoms of a somatic illness.

Patients who present with a high number of physical symptoms may be more likely to have a mood disorder than patients who present with only a few physical symptoms. Kroenke et al.2 studied 1000 adult primary care clinic patients and found that the number of physical symptoms present was highly predictive of mood disorders and functional impairment. In patients who reported 0 or 1 physical symptom, 2% were found to have a mood disorder, but among patients who reported 9 or more physical symptoms, 60% were found to have a mood disorder (Figure 1). Overall, the presence of any physical symptom approximately doubled the likelihood that the patient had a mood disorder.

Figure 1. Figure 1.

Physical Symptoms as a Predictor of Mood Disordersa

In general, the worse the painful physical symptoms, the more severe the depression. Physical symptoms have been found to increase the duration of depressed mood. In a study of chronic pain as a predictor of depressive morbidity in the general population, Ohayon and Schatzberg3 found that of the study participants who reported at least 1 key symptom of depression, those with a chronic painful physical condition reported a longer duration of depressed mood (19.0 months) than those without chronic pain (13.3 months).

Physical symptoms are also generally accompanied by a significant level of dysfunction in depressed patients. Elevated rates of suicidal thoughts are found in patients with chronic pain. Ohayon and Schatzberg3 reported that, among patients who reported at least 1 key symptom of depression, 33% of those who reported suicidal thoughts (N = 687) also reported a painful condition. A review of the literature by Fishbain4 found that suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and suicide completions are commonly found in patients with chronic pain. Fishbain noted that several of the reviewed studies indicated that chronic pain may be a suicide risk factor.

The link between pain and depression appears to be a shared neurologic pathway.5 Response to painful physical stimuli is moderated in the brain by serotonin and norepinephrine, which also affect mood. Patients with neurotransmitter dysregulation may have an imbalance of serotonin and norepinephrine, which may explain the connection between painful physical symptoms and depression. When a patient with depression complains that he or she is feeling physical pain, there may be a chemical reason.

Therefore, antidepressants that inhibit the reuptake of both norepinephrine and serotonin have the best chance to reduce physical symptoms in patients with depression because they target the pathways that mediate both pain and depression in the brain and in the spinal cord.6 Antidepressant medications that act as dual serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, such as venlafaxine and duloxetine, may aid in correcting the imbalance of serotonin and norepinephrine neurotransmission in the brain.

Answer 5

yes but thats not wise to not do something about it.

and yes again. of course it can.

Answer 6

h**l YES for both questions.

Answer 7

Depression effects your mind, as well as the ability to do every-day things with your body due to lack of interest. Also, when you're that sad, you feel sluggish and achy. So yes, depression can cause physical problems.