Why does loneliness feel so bad? Of all the risk factors for depression, a lack of love – which ends up in loneliness – is the most destructive. Loneliness is a type of chronic pain, a chronic stress; it chronically makes us feel bad. We are social creatures who try to avoid loneliness; many people try to find relief in alcohol and drugs. But these only contribute to depression.
Read MoreDepression and heart disease are related. What? You’re kidding me! But it’s true:
Depression can lead to heart disease
Heart disease can lead to depression
They share an underlying disease process called “inflammation.”
Read MoreStrange. We doctors know the risk factors for heart disease really well, but the risk factors for depression are a little … well … hazy. Most researchers and clinicians would generally agree on these being the major risk factors. I have arranged them into an easy to remember acronym for you.
Read MoreI’ve been a doctor for twenty years now, and I’ve seen lots of people with lots of mental health problems. Day one as a doctor was in psychiatry and, as I was in an area of need, I kept working in psychiatry even while I was doing cardiology, surgery, accident and emergency and all the other things junior doctors do. I became a consultant psychiatrist almost twelve years ago and soon learnt that we need to help people before they get problems, before they need to see someone like me.
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