Depression Showing as Physical Symptoms
Two of the biggest mental health issues out there are depression and anxiety. It is important to screen for both these emotional conditions as they can both manifest physically in the body with symptoms. Depression can show up in the body through various physical symptoms as seen in the article below. When I work with someone and physical structural issues are ruled out, I am looking to find emotional stress related causes and depression is one of them.
The National Institute of Mental Health states: “Bodily aches and pains are a common symptom of depression. Studies show that people with more severe depression feel more intense pain.”
Daniel K Hall-Flavin from the Mayo Clinic says: “In many people, depression causes unexplained physical symptoms such as back pain or headaches. This kind of pain may be the first or the only sign of depression.” I think it is important to note this as people may not be thinking they are depressed or feel emotionally depressed, but the depression can be manifesting physically through symptoms and people aren’t making the connection.
