A new study suggests that depression and anxiety both influence the reporting of physical symptoms, but in different ways.
According to the study, published in the latest issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, people will depression report a higher number of past symptoms, while people with anxiety tend to report a greater number of current symptoms.
"Our data suggest that a person who walks into a physician's office feeling sad will tend to recall experiencing more symptoms than they probably really did," said study author Jerry Suls, a professor of psychology in the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. "If a person comes into the physician's office feeling fearful, they're more likely to scan their body and read any sensations they're experiencing at that moment as something wrong. We believe this is because depression is associated with rumination and exaggerated recall of negative experiences, while anxiety is associated with vigilance for potentially negative things in the present time."
These findings are important, the authors say, because physicians rely on what the patient reports in making their diagnosis and treatment decisions.
Suls and his co-author Bryant Howren, a post-doctoral scholar at UI, say they aren't suggesting that doctors should discount symptoms because a patient has depression or anxiety, however, they do need to be aware that emotions can play role in how the patient interprets his symptoms.
Have Vit D levels cked in bloodwork. Low levels of Vit D can cause extreme exhaustion, body aches/pain & – you guessed it – depression! Still may have actual depression, but getting Vit D levels at right numbers can’t hurt!
i would be interested to know what level of vit d you should have when you are tested and how is it best to take to get the right dose?
When we hear about “depression” we associate this word with mental illness. However, contrary to what the drug peddling psychiatrists say about it, depression is not an illness; it’s a human condition. It’s the opposite of joy, so it is part of an emotional spectrum with extremes at both ends. Morever, when we look at the buzz words dealing with depression in the realm of popular psychology such as, “self esteem”, “self worth”, “self image”, “self love”, “self Loathing”, etc., we can get that this entire area of study is about ego-centrism. There is no room in this private domain for anyone else. Moreover, the way our society deals with this subject as a whole even encourages narcissism. Therefore, barring any chemical or hormonal imbalances which doctors can correct, the person suffering from chronic bouts of depression needs to focus on the needs of others. The best therapy is a program that encourages people to be more altruistic and less self-centered.
@Studying –
On lab test my doc ran, should be 35+ and mine was 6.
Don’t know if diff labs have diff rates of “normal” with Vit D. Currently taking Vit D capsule that requires RX.
Now I find most people take Vit D in the winter/fall months here! Not sure what FDA guideline is, but label on bottle should say. Could also ask call pharmacist or GNC store. Hope this helps!
So Moshe, what you’re saying is we need to tell people with depression to ‘Get over themselves’?