Mild cases of anxiety, depression may lead to an early death

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(CBS News) Even mild cases of anxiety or depression might take years off a person's life, new research suggests. The British researchers behind the new study say these mental health woes, collective called psychological distress, may lead to premature deaths from major causes such as heart disease or even seemingly unrelated ones like fatal car crashes.

The study, published July 31 online in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), looked at death risk in 68,000 adults over 35 who were involved in previous studies from 1994 to 2004. Reviewing mental health surveys given to the study participants along with mortality data, the researchers and found those with mental health issues were more likely to die than their stress-free counterparts.

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The greater the level of psychological distress, the more likely a person was to die of heart disease, cancer or even external causes of death like accidents and injuries.

Specifically, those with the highest levels of psychological distress were 41 percent more likely to die a cancer-related death, the researchers found.

However even people displaying minor symptoms of psychological distress were found to have a 20 percent increased risk of dying over the 10-year study period, compared to those who were free of anxiety or depression.

"Currently these people - a quarter of the adult population - are unlikely to come to the attention of mental health services due to these symptoms and may not be receiving treatment," study author Dr. Tom Russ, an Alzheimer's researcher at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, said in a journal press release.

People with subclinical symptoms of distress were 29 percent more likely to die of heart disease and 29 percent more likely to die from an external cause than those without distress.

Study author Dr. David Batty, a research fellow in the department of epidemiology and public health at University College London, said in a written statement that the researchers' analysis factored in unhealthy behaviors such as obesity, lack of exercise, smoking and alcohol consumption, and the death risks remained.

"Therefore this increased mortality is not simply due to people with higher levels of psychological distress having poorer health behaviors," Batty said.

The researchers theorize that mental health problems may cause biological changes in the body that increase a person's risk for diabetes and heart disease.

Dr. Christopher Cove, a cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center in N.Y., told Health.com that increases in adrenaline and other stress-related body chemicals can cause the fatty plaques in narrowed arteries to rupture, causing blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. Cove, who was not involved in the new study, also said psychological distress can distract someone, potentially leading to fatal accidents.

According to WebMD, finding a proper balance between your work and personal life, getting enough sleep, adopting a healthy diet with exercise, and getting support from your family, peers or a professional may help people reduce their stress.

Or try forcing a smile. New research found people who held their face in a smiling position had a lower heart rate following a stressful situation.

[psychexpert]

As a therapist who works with anxiety disorders, I see how anxiety negatively affects an individual's health on a daily basis. The human body is just not designed to handle the large amounts of Cortisol being released when a person is constantly anxious. I think this article should also have talked more about how to solve the problem of anxiety... with cognitive behavioral therapy, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and various mindfulness techniques. -Rebecca, rebeccafountain.com

[Jaylah54200]

I wonder how much this study cost?

It seems rather obvious to me.

[MIO42]

The sum of the Study can be encapsulated by just two words as the triggers
" Selfishness & Spite"

[Valhalla0907]

JUST WHAT I WANTED TO HEAR! Blow off accountability, deny responsibility, and even when cornered, lie until you believe yourself. It's much easier than actually doing something!

[lillyhorton]

What do these people know about the life span of individuals? I know a man who didn't smoke or drink so much as caffine (Mormon) and died in his 50's of cancer. I have seen news articals on healthy young athletes dying not related to drugs. I survived child poverty, neglect and sever child abuse. After two suiside attempts in high school I am still here 25 years later. I smoked. I drank. I have starved myself down and yet my body still lives in good shape.

[louiville2_2]

by hypnotoad72 August 1, 2012 6:17 PM EDT
The class war, incidentally, started when the management demanded workers take pay cuts, train their own cheap H1B replacements, lost jobs due to illegals (who are also used to drive down wages...)

Start actually reading peoples' responses. We've responded to you on these issues before.

May we outlive you, however.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Class warfare has been used by every despicable dictator who came to power on the class warfare wave. I mean really any potential despot dictator class warfare is their first tool, you hear a politician using it you should run from them. After all they have killed more than a hundred million people over the last 100 years.

I mean sheeeeesh it's "one of the deadly sins" (envy). Especially in America where you see the class warfare overweight chubbies out waving signs that they are abused cuz they only have one 55" HDTV in their air conditioned government supplied house. Little doubt why these guys die off early.

I do read your responses but they are so narrow minded and asinine, just like this one it's hilarious. You must be one of life's comic reliefs for conservatives.

[Transatlantique]

If this is true, then I will die sooner than I thought.

[hypnotoad72]

Looking forward to it. This "pro-life" society is about as tension-laden as it gets.

[ApolloDrauka]

Now if this article is too be taken as truth, than you have completely contributed to my early death by increasing both my anxiety about this situation and my depression because I'm now apparently going to die sooner rather than later. Thank you CBS, expect my lawsuit to arrive accordingly.

[animaltoo]

My ******* comments disappear.