Why Does Depression Hurt? Do Panic Attacks Lead to Depression?
Depression hurts. But why does depression hurt? To begin with, your body finds it more difficult to cope with pain. Endorphins, the body’s natural pain relievers, are affected when someone is in a depressed state. Movement and exercise are recommended, but this can be a lot easier said than done.
We’re all human, apart from the aliens among us. (Sorry! Little joke there to lighten the mood), so we’re all different. Please forgive me if I state facts that simply don’t apply to you. But when you’re extremely depressed, it’s all you can do to shuffle around, let alone indulge yourself in exercise. Let’s start at the beginning, though.
We all suffer downtimes now and again, especially if there’s a cogent reason for it. It’s when these downtimes last for more than a couple of weeks, and most especially if there’s no reason for them, that professional help should be sought quickly. The same goes for panic attacks and anxiety. Indeed, a lot of people who suffer panic attacks often have depression as well.
The main point here is that these conditions often lead to a sense of self-worthlessness, which in turn may lead to thoughts of suicide. There are three interlocking conditions; anxiety, panic attacks and depression. All these are perfectly normal – provided there’s a reason for them. If someone breaks into your house, you panic. Fight or flight kicks in, especially if you’re a woman. You can be at terrible risk. After all, the chances of a man raping another of the same sex is unlikely. The poor woman, though, has this as an added threat.
Anxiety. Your spouse is ill and in hospital. How long will they be in there? Is the condition life-threatening? Of course you’re anxious.
Depression. You know that the factory for whom you work simply isn’t having many orders. They’re going down and down and visions of pink slips float before your sleepless eyes at night in bed. All these things are natural.
But let’s assume you have a good life. Good, safe job, happy home, but for some inexplicable reason, you always feel anxious. Why? There’s absolutely nothing to feel anxious about, and yet it persists. This isn’t normal, this feeling that something terrible’s going to happen, that someone’s following you, perhaps. People are always looking at you when you’re waiting in a queue or you’re in a crowd. Even if you’re at home sitting in your favourite chair, you still have uneasy feelings.
This can lead to panic attacks. After all, if you think someone’s watching you, or that something awful’s going to happen, is it surprising? You find yourself sweating and perhaps feeling dizzy. Maybe your hands start shaking, and you begin to suffer palpitations. This last manifestation is an irregular heartbeat and if you’ve never had it before, you may well think you’re dying. For those of you who are able to wrap your tongue around the word, it’s called ‘arrhythmia,’ or abnormal rhythm.
Agoraphobia’s another nice big word, which means fear of crowded places. This produces a fight or flight feeling, but of course for no reason. Another symptom of panic attacks, and anxiety too come to that, is a fear of going outside. It can be irksome when professionals in the field, who’ve never suffered these conditions, say that you must force yourself to take action. The point is, you’re not just afraid. You’re absolutely terrified. It’s so easy to say, oh just get up and go. You’re rooted to the spot, sweating, shaking, taking rapid, shallow breaths. Deep down, you know there’s nothing to be frightened of, but that doesn’t negate the awful dread.
Both these conditions; panic attacks and anxiety, can lead to depression. A Finnish study found that people with depression have a two to four times greater risk of plaque build-up in their arteries than those who don’t suffer from the disease.
There is another interesting consideration. Apparently, there’s a rapid rise in depression, which suggests other causes. People are becoming more and more insular in their lifestyles. Always busy, not enough time to help others and consider their problems. This is certainly a possibility. But whatever the reason for the wretched disease, depression hurts and can hurt badly.
Before the know-alls tell you that you should exercise and make your endorphins leap around, let them experience a bout of clinical depression. Then see if they’re as keen on going to the gym
Mike Bond’s suffered all three conditions, although they’re safely under control now. The pain of depression is very real, as is the terror of a panic attack, and the awful feeling of paranoia during anxiety. A visit to his website, especially if you suffer from these diseases, is well worthwhile. See what he went through and compare your symptoms with his