Why is depression common in people with chronic illness?
People with a chronic illness have difficulty adjusting to the demands of the illness. At the same time, they need to focus on the treatments for their condition. But the chronic illness may affect a person’s mobility and independence. And it can change the way a person sees her or himself as well as the way the person relates to the outside world. So it’s not surprising that studies indicate that as many as one out of every three people with a serious medical condition reports experiencing depression. Clinical depression is one of the most common complications associated with chronic illnesses. In some cases, a chronic illness may actually cause depression. Depression caused by chronic illness often complicates the illness. That’s especially true if the chronic illness is already causing some degree of pain and disruption in the person’s life. Physical changes caused by depression are likely to trigger physical or psychological responses in a person who is already in a state of hardsh
