5 Ways Depression Can Lead To Death

Depression is a serious, debilitating
and life threatening psychological
disorder characterized by loss of
interest in activities that were once
pleasurable and social withdrawal
which is severe enough to affect the
interaction of the patient with other
individuals. Depression is often
misdiagnosed and many patients
suffer in silence without any form of
therapy. It is among the top medical
conditions afflicting millions of people
worldwide.
The exact cause of depression is
unknown but it has been said to be
multi-factorial, with certain risk
factors paying significant roles in
triggering patients into depression. It
is also important to note that most
individuals feel depressed at a certain
point in time of their life but when it
begins to affect their interaction with
themselves, their environment and
with others then it is essential that
they consult a psychiatrist for proper
evaluation.
In this article, we are going to review
5 ways depression can lead to death.
1. It can bring suicidal thoughts
Statistically, it has been noted that
most deaths as a result of suicide,
occur in patients with an underlying
psychiatric condition which are under
treatment, poorly treated or not
diagnosed. Among these psychiatric
disorders, depression tops the chart as
the commonest underlying cause that
leads to suicide. Depressed patients
commonly develop loss of interest in
activities that were once pleasurable.
This can lead to social withdrawal and
seclusion, feeling of worthlessness,
excessive anger from little irritation,
increase feeling of guilt and self hate,
excessive crying with crying outburst
and crying spells and poor self-image
with feeling of self reproach and
excessive guilt without any triggering
factor. All this symptoms have been
found to account for the increase risk
of suicide/ suicidal attempts by
patients suffering from depression.
2. Affects body functionality
Depression as a psychological disorder
may also affect other systems in the
body directly or indirectly. It may also
lead to severe loss of appetite, reduced
food intake and weight loss. When this
occurs, such patients may go on to
develop malnutrition and nutritional
deficiencies. Nutritional deficiency
affects virtually all the organs and
system of the body and its cumulative
effect can lead to death. Death can
also occur from sudden low blood
sugar levels. However, the appetite of
some patients with depression may
increase leading to voracious appetite,
binge eating and weight gain.
3. Leads to the abuse of alcohol, drugs
and tobacco
Most patients suffering from
depression are most likely to use
alcohol, drugs and tobacco for solace.
Hence, they are more likely to die as a
result of drug, alcohol and tobacco
misuse. They are more predisposed to
be involved in accidental drug
overdose, use of hallucinogens which
can lead to sudden death, tobacco use
which can affect the heart, kidneys
and the lungs, increase risk of
accidents at work, road traffic
accident or domestic accidents as a
result of substance abuse.
4. Self-neglect and poor personal hygiene
Depression can lead to self-neglect
and poor personal hygiene, thereby
predisposing them to infections and
other medical conditions. It is also
important to note that depressed
patients neglect their health, have
poor health care seeking attitude and
are more likely to suffer and die in
silence.
5. Can lead to risk of accidents and self-
inflicted injuries
When depression is not addressed on
time, it may expose the individual to
risk of accidents and self inflicted
injuries. Although this is not as
common as suicide or suicidal
attempts, depressed patients have an
increase risk of accidents and self-
inflicted injuries which can eventually
cumulate in death. Accidents can be
directly as a result of depression from
poor concentration, lack of interest,
anger, irritability or from substance
abuse. These accidents or self-inflicted
injuries can lead to the death of
patients suffering from depression