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Depression is defined as the illness of our century. We all know what it is, most of us have already experienced depressive episodes and the few of us who didn’t, well, you will. It’s getting harder and harder to escape depression in the times we are living. Now, a research team from Sweden has reported that depression is related to Parkinson’s disease.
More than 14.000 individuals participated in the study, all with ages over 50 at the time when the research was initiated, in 2005. All the study subjects had previously been diagnosed with depression starting with 1987, until the research ended, in 2012. Each of the depressive subjects had a control group of three other individuals never diagnosed with depression. The entire study was covered by a sample of 421.718 people.
Reports on the research have revealed some overwhelming findings. The records showed that 1, 1% of the study subjects, or 1.485 people diagnosed with depression later succumbed to Parkinson’s, while from the batch of healthy people, only 0.4 showed signs of the affection.
Researchers have concluded that Parkinson’s disease is not at all a common affection, even among people who suffer from depressive episodes. The findings are a relevant clue that leads to further analysis and calls for a more extended study, maybe more revealing of the causes that generate the affection.
In the past few years, doctors and scientists have tried to find a clear cause for the development of Parkinson’s, trying to relate it to other health problems or personality traits. Another study conducted in 2012 showed an important connection between people who are cautious and reluctant of taking risks and Parkinson’s disease.
It seems that everything starts back in our minds, and the more uptight and afraid we are, the more our body responds by developing related affections.
There are approximately 1 million people who suffer from Parkinson in the US. This disease appears when we lose the brain cells responsible with producing dopamine. No wonder depression is related to Parkinson’s as dopamine helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. Dopamine is also known to regulate movement and emotional responses.
So the tremors and shaky hands, clear symptoms of Parkinson’s, come from the lack of dopamine in our bodies.
Depression also suppresses dopamine, as it enhances sadness and low feelings. Lust for life is something the mind simply cannot imagine when depressed. Parkinson’s disease develops earlier in people who suffer from depression and unfortunately it’s there to stay.
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