Why Sadness May Lead to Physical Disease

Emotions of stress and sorrow are related to increased risk of some health problems such as stroke, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, but so far the cause is unknown. Now, a new study at the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth) in Houston may have found the answer.

The main researchers of this study are Alan Prossin, M.B.B.S. It means that the neurotransmitter of the brain called opioid is released to reduce the effects of stress when people are stressed. However, if this stress response system is not functioning properly, opioid neurotransmitters may have an adverse effect on the body and may alter the response of the immune system to stress, and the risk of other medical diseases There is a possibility to raise.

Early studies by the team also found an increase in the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-18 (IL-18) associated with cardiovascular disease in depressed patients.

Participants in new studies, including severe depression and healthy controls, underwent a positron emission tomography (PET) scan starting with a baseline scan. At baseline, depressed patients showed more opioid activity (and higher IL-18 concentrations in the blood) than healthy controls.

When participants were asked to consider neutrality, opioid activity decreased in both groups and opioid decline was proportional to the same person's IL - 18 reduction.

When asked to focus on previous sad events in their lives, higher levels of opioids are released from the brain and this increase in opioids is proportional to the increase in blood IL-18 levels I will.

"Although these effects were observed during the sorrow of the two groups of patients, major depressed patients were more prominent than non-depressed patients," Prossin said.

In depression group, IL-18 level increased after grief but did not reach baseline concentration. In other words, thinking about neutrality has an adverse effect on IL-18, even after they are asked to consider sad things, IL-18 still exists.

"Inducing a neutral emotional state improves mood and IL-18 decreases," Prosan says. "Thus, if psychotherapy can be implemented to improve the mood of depressed patients, IL-18 can be normalized and in the long term it will be able to reduce the risk of various complications "

The team continued to compare IL-18 levels with more classical stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone. They could not find a correlation

"This could be a new approach to changes in stress-related emotions, which is a reason why classical stress hormone-based treatment is not effective for depressed patients with stress-related mood changes I might explain it. "

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Each disease process has its origin or cause, but it is difficult to diagnose or judge because certain diseases have different or confusing symptoms. The physical symptoms of the disease may be accompanied by emotional symptoms, and some diseases affecting the chemical balance of the nervous system may appear as physical symptoms. Disease categories include autoimmune, bacteria, blood, cancer, digestion, heart, nerve (or neurodegeneration), sexually transmitted or thyroid. The disease is either infectious or non-infectious. External causes that can cause disease include acquired viruses or bacteria, and internal causes of disease include autoimmune or genetic dysfunction. Several diseases are chronic, which means they are constantly present and exhibit long-term symptoms

Infectious diseases Some infections may also have mental symptoms. For example, untreated streptococcal infections can cause seizures (Sydenham chorea) as well as symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder. Treating infections can solve symptoms. Lyme disease may be related to mental symptoms including anxiety. Others Wilson's disease is a genetic disorder that hinders copper metabolism and may have schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and anxiety-like features. Mental symptoms usually begin in adolescence. Wilson's disease is inherently progressive and damages the liver and the brain. A unique physical feature is a brown ring around the cornea