Depression with a physical disease

If you are suffering from a disease and yet get another disease, it is called a secondary or comorbid disease. Therefore, we are not talking about a worsening of the original disease but a new disease on top of another.

Unfortunately, every serious or lengthy physical disease increases the risk of developing depression. Below are some of the reasons for this:

Psychological reasons

It is understandable that you can become unhappy and even develop depression if you are in severe pain or you find it difficult to function the way you would like to. The same is true if you are suffering from a disease which disable you or is potentially fatal.

Physical reasons

Some diseases affect the brain function and therefore can trigger depression. This applies to conditions like parkinson's disease,  dementia and  multiple sclerosis. If the disease changes your body's chemical or hormonal balance, it can also trigger depression.

Medicine

The medical treatment, which is necessary to improve or cure your physical disease, can in some cases trigger or maintain depression, anxiety or other psychological diseases. For example, heart medicine, such as beta blockers.