RESEARCH by the University of Edinburgh has shown a direct link between depression and the rate of development of long-term health conditions.
The research discovered that middle-aged and older adults with a history of depression develop long-term health conditions 30% more quickly than those who have never experienced depression.
The report confirmed that for every three long-term physical health conditions a person without a history of depression develops, an individual of the same age and sex with a history of depression is likely to develop approximately four.
Arthritis and high blood pressure were among the most common conditions developed by those with a history of depression.
Experts say healthcare systems should combine to manage mental and physical health to improve care and outcomes.
Depression is the most common mental health condition and has previously been linked to several physical conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes.
Past research has compared people with and without depression to see how many physical conditions they develop over time, but most studies only looked at a small number of illnesses.
Kelly Fleetwood, statistician from the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute, said: “People who’ve experienced depression are more likely to develop long-term physical health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and arthritis.
“However, existing healthcare systems are designed to treat individual conditions instead of individual people with multiple conditions.
“We need healthcare services to take an integrated approach to caring for people who have both depression and long-term physical health conditions.”
Researchers from the University of Edinburgh aimed to measure the link between depression and the rate at which physical conditions develop in midlife and older age.
The UK Biobank study included more than 170,000 volunteers aged 40 to 71. The research team followed participants for an average of seven years, tracking the development of 69 physical conditions.
At the beginning of the study, individuals with a prior diagnosis of depression had an average of three long-term physical health conditions.
In contrast, those without a prior diagnosis of depression had an average of two such conditions.
During the study period, adults with a history of depression developed an average of 0.2 additional physical conditions per year, whereas those without such a history developed 0.16.
This rise in illness may be partly attributed to higher smoking rates, elevated BMI, and reduced physical activity among individuals with depression.