One of the most insidious forms of depression – hidden – can for a long time be disguised as various bodily ailments. How to “bring it to clean water”? How to treat emotionally caused diseases of the body?
Insomnia
Sleep disorder is one of the main and first manifestations of depression. In this case, a person usually wakes up at night and cannot sleep for a long time. And in the morning he gets up with difficulty, having a poor rest. With an aversion to food, he has breakfast, and when he arrives at work already tired, he needs a rest and a cup of strong coffee.
The peak of activity of such a person is noon. But by two o’clock the working capacity drops, and until the end of the day a person feels overwhelmed.
In this situation, you should not grab either sleeping pills or energy. They will not eliminate the cause of sleep disturbances. But antidepressants based on melatonin can help, which will put in order both mood, sleep, and performance.
Abdominal discomfort
Often symptoms of gastrointestinal problems are associated with depression: heaviness and bloating, constipation or diarrhea, nausea and belching, decreased appetite. Also, episodes of cramping pain are possible. The condition usually worsens at night and in the morning, and improves in the afternoon.
Often people with such symptoms repeatedly call an ambulance. And they even go to hospitals with suspected acute appendicitis, cholecystitis, food poisoning or an ectopic pregnancy. However, the traditional treatment of therapists and surgeons does not bring relief.
In this situation, complex treatment is needed. On the one hand, a drug to normalize the work of the gastrointestinal tract. And on the other – an effective modern antidepressant. By the way, in their arsenal there are those that heal a stomach ulcer as a “side effect”.
Headache
A “wandering” headache, a feeling of fullness or tightening of the head, as well as “crawling creeps” are also a sign of a problem of psychological origin.
Painkillers in this case help poorly. A person is examined and often gets a diagnosis of migraine or vegetative-vascular dystonia. Most often, drugs are prescribed for improving cerebral circulation – nootropics. But the condition from this only worsens, since with stress disorders, these drugs only exacerbate nervousness. Conclusion: without the involvement of antidepressant therapy, it can be treated for years without effect.
Problems with heart
In this case, stress and depression imitate heart failure and heart pain, burning or cold behind the sternum. But the results of the cardiogram do not correspond to the patient’s complaints. So cardiologists do not find anything in their part and refer to other doctors.
Facial pain
“Minor mood” may be hidden behind trigeminal or glossopharyngeal nerve neuralgia. Manifest unexpected toothache. These problems are often provoked by prosthetics.
Unfortunately, this type of pain is the worst pain reliever. And sometimes, desperate patients ask dentists to remove completely healthy teeth, which sometimes brings temporary relief.
However, you can truly solve problems only by contacting a psychiatrist.
Muscle and joint pain
Another mask of chronic depression is pain in the legs, arms, and back. They can imitate sciatica, osteochondrosis, neuralgia, arthritis.
But when the patient takes an x-ray, no painful changes in the bones and cartilage are detected. The pain zone does not correspond to the affected area of a nerve or joint.
So you need to treat not the back and knees, but the head. And to relieve pain, a short course of anti-inflammatory non-steroid drugs is enough.
Fears
Depression with an anxious component can develop into real phobias – obsessive, but most often baseless fears.
Often this is the fear of death from heart failure, stroke, an incurable disease like cancer or AIDS. Many experience panic attacks in the subway.
Phobias usually increase at night and in the morning and decrease in the afternoon.
Such disorders are successfully treated with antidepressants. However, the doctor should choose the drug, since among them there are those that inhibit anxiety, and those that can enhance it. Be careful.
Chronic fatigue syndrome
This “disease” can have several causes, from hidden infections and diseases of the endocrine system to chronic depression. The condition is manifested by a daily decline in strength, the inability to fulfill their normal duties without tension. Each new day begins almost with violence against oneself. You do not have the energy and desire to go somewhere and do something.
The biggest mistake in this situation is to take artificial “vigor stimulants” with caffeine and other “energetics”. They further deplete the nervous system and trigger the disease.
You need a comprehensive examination of the body. Donate blood for infections and hormones. Get diagnosed by an endocrinologist and psychiatrist.