All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Depression can trigger cancer
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
Decreased mood, apathy, loss of ability to experience joy, impaired thinking - all these are symptoms of depression, the most common disorder in the modern world. Usually, the development of depression remains unnoticed, and all symptoms are attributed to bouts of bad mood, whims, fatigue, etc. But in reality, depression is a mental disorder and if the patient is left without help, the person may commit suicide.
One of the groups of American researchers has been studying depressive disorders for several years to understand what kind of illness it is and how to cope with it. In the process of their work, scientists have found out that depression affects not only the brain, but the entire body suffers from this disease. In simple terms, scientists consider depression not only a mental disorder, but also a physical disorder.
The researchers selected 4,000 volunteers and studied their health condition, as a result of which the tests confirmed their assumption - it turned out that long-term mental disorders lead to the accumulation of harmful substances in muscle tissue, which in turn provoke the development of oncology and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, prolonged depression reduces the functioning of the immune system, which is beneficial for the development of pathogenic flora, and contributes to a decrease in life expectancy.
The scientists made their conclusions after an in-depth analysis of 30 research papers.
Depressive disorders, as already mentioned, can cause suicide, and scientists note that this is due to hormonal changes in the body - a decrease in hormone levels leads to apathy, bad mood, a person loses the ability to rejoice, in such a state it will not be difficult for a person to commit suicide.
According to the research team, their study will help develop not only new effective treatments for depressive disorders, but also create drugs to prevent this disorder.
In another project, scientists suggested that depression can be inherited. They were prompted to this idea by the similarity of the brains between mothers and daughters. According to statistics, in the United States, about 8% of adolescents over 12 years old suffer from depressive disorders, and there are often cases when not only children but also their mothers suffer from this disease.
An earlier study found that stress during pregnancy affects the structure of the female fetus's brain, namely the corticolimbic system, which helps assess the degree of danger and is involved in processing and regulating emotions. Changes in this system are observed in depression, stress, and increased anxiety.
Scientists studied 35 families and came to the conclusion that structural changes in the brain can be passed on from mother to daughter. During the work, the scientists measured the volume of gray matter in the cortico-limbic system of the mother and daughter, which made it possible to identify similarities between their brain structures. The next stage of the scientists will be studying the brain of parents and children who were conceived using the method of in vitro fertilization.
[