Stress and Depression

When doctors diagnose a patient’s mysterious pains, sudden sleep difficulties, changes in eating habits, inexplicable migraines or excessive fatigue as psychosomatic, it is easy to apply the layman’s translation of “It’s all in your head.” However, when it comes to these responses to stress, what may be “all in your head” might have a direct impact on what is going on in your body.

With such symptoms as those just described, it is clear that stress, immune function, and depression are linked. For example, those suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder report high levels of depression. Additionally, while you will not find a doctor ordering extensive lab tests to diagnose depression, high levels of cortisol and other stress hormones are found in the blood of the depressed. Also, survivors of early life stress, such as childhood abuse, experience changes in the neurobiology of the brain, making them more vulnerable to depression later in life. Even acute life stressors are known to provoke depression, especially in an environment of poor social support and frequent life crisis. Finally, chronic stress results in lowered immune function and increased incidence of depression. Not only do the relationships between the brain, stress, immune function, and depression exist, but they are bidirectional and complex.

For this Discussion, review this week’s Learning Resources as well as the “Stress, Depression, and the Immune Response” section of the “Stress, the Immune System, Chronic Illness, and Your Body” handout. Then reflect on the different ways stress, the stress response, and depression are connected. Finally, consider what part depression plays in the immune and inflammatory response systems.

With these thoughts in mind:

post

an explanation of the relationships between stress and depression. Then describe two factors of stress response that influence the development of depression and explain how. Finally, explain the influence of depression on the immune and inflammatory response systems. Be specific.

Required Readings

Baum, A., Lorduy, K., & Jenkins, F. J. (2011). The molecular biology of stress: Cellular defense, immune response, and aging. In R. J. Contrada & A. Baum (Eds.), The handbook of stress science: Biology, psychology, and health (pp. 87–100). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

Bekkouche, N. S., Holmes, S., Whittaker, K. S., & Krantz, D. S. (2011). Stress and the heart: Psychosocial stress and coronary heart disease. In R. J. Contrada & A. Baum (Eds.), The handbook of stress science: Biology, psychology, and health (p. 394). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

• Read the section titled “Psychosocial Traits Associated With Chronic Stress and CAD”

Gatchel, R. J., Howard, K., & Haggard, R. (2011). Pain: The biopsychosocial perspective. In R. J. Contrada & A. Baum (Eds.), The handbook of stress science: Biology, psychology, and health (pp. 461–474). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

Grant, K. E., McMahon, S. D., Duffy, S. N., Taylor, J. J., & Compas, B. E. (2011). Stressors and mental health problems in childhood and adolescence. In R. J. Contrada & A. Baum (Eds.), The handbook of stress science: Biology, psychology, and health (pp. 359–372). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

Gutman, D. A., & Nemeroff, C. B. (2011). Stress and depression. In R. J. Contrada & A. Baum (Eds.), The handbook of stress science: Biology, psychology, and health (pp. 345–357). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

Perez, G. K., Cruess, D. G., & Kalichman, S. C. (2011). Effects of stress on health in HIV/AIDS. In R. J. Contrada & A. Baum (Eds.), The handbook of stress science: Biology, psychology, and health (p. 451). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

• Read the section titled “Depression Among PLWHA”

National Institute of Mental Health. (2008, July 29). Errant stress/immune indicators detected in depression-prone women’s sweat. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2008/errant-s…

Wilson, D. R., & Warise, L. (2008). Cytokines and their role in depression. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 44(4), 285–289.
Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Academic Search Complete database.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2012). Stress, the immune system, chronic illness, and your body. Unpublished document.

• Read the sections titled “Stress, Depression, and the Immune Response,” “Chronic Illness,” and “Autoimmune Disease.”

American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, Inc. (n.d.). List of autoimmune and autoimmune-related diseases. Retrieved from http://www.aarda.org/autoimmune-information/list-o…

National Institutes of Health. (2012). Health information. Retrieved from http://www.health.nih.gov/

National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). Health topics: Depression. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/i…

Required Media

Hernan, S. (Producer). (2010, November 1). Stress, inflammation, and depression [Audio podcast]. Neuroscene. Retrieved from http://neuroscene.com/?p=225
Used with permission of NeuroScene. All rights reserved.

Transcript for Hernan ‘s Stress, Inflammation, and Dpression Podcast

National Institute of Mental Health. (Producer). (2010, November 23). NIMH investigators talk about new evidence that suggests exercise and positive environment can help hedge against stress related depression [Audio podcast]. NIH Radio. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/media/2010/positive-m…